Acceptance and willingness to pay for breast cancer screening among high-risk populations for breast cancer in urban China

Objective To determine the acceptance and willingness to pay for breast cancer screening among populations at high risk of breast cancer in urban China. Methods From 2012 to 2014, a cancer screening program in urban China (CanSPUC) was carried out in 13 provinces. The current survey was conducted among participants who were evaluated as having "high-risk for breast cancer" using a Harvard model (community-based) and then underwent breast mammography or ultrasonography screening procedure (hospital-based). The study mainly focused on their acceptance and willingness to pay under certain self-payment assumption for breast cancer screening. Results A total of 3 049 participants, with a mean age of 52.4±7.0 years, were included. The group aged 45 to 55 years accounted for 50% of the patients, and the median annual income per capita in the recent 5 years was 22 000 (15 000-34 000) Chinese yuan (CNY). Educational level, occupation, and marital status may affect their full acceptance and voluntary payment (P 100 CNY. The remaining 15% of the residents showed no willingness to pay, and the unaffordable expenditure (70%, 438 participants) and unnecessary screening (24%, 112 participants) were the primary considerations. Significant differences in acceptance, willingness to pay, and payment were found among the provinces. Conclusion Almost all high-risk populations for breast cancer could accept breast cancer screening. The willingness to pay was relatively high, but the amount of payment was limited and low. Key words: Breast cancer; Screening; Mammography; Ultrasonography; Acceptance; Willingness to pay