Women are finding it harder to get good cancer treatment as Japan's doctor shortage forces an increasing number of hospitals to close their gynecology departments, a recent study by a medical group found.
As a result, women with uterine or ovarian cancer are being left with no choice but to flock to university hospitals and other major medical institutions. Travel times to these facilities are longer and waiting lists for surgery are getting worse, said the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology, which conducted the study.
The group said the number of visits by uterine and ovarian cancer patients jumped more than 1.25 times between 2004 and 2007 at 20 of about 270 hospitals that report cancer cases to the society.
"Hospitals are operating at near-capacity in some prefectures," said University of Tsukuba professor Hiroyuki Yoshikawa, who conducted the poll.
The largest increase was at Mie University, followed by the Chiba Cancer Center, Tokyo Medical University and Osaka University.