With deaths caused by mouth cancer among Taiwanese men moving from ninth place in 2002 to fifth place last year in the nation's cause-of-death charts, betel-nut chewing -- which has long been linked with mouth cancer -- has become a matter of concern in Taiwan.
Initiative
Officials from the Taipei City Government's Department of Health yesterday discussed the dangers of betel-nut chewing, and announced an initiative to set up medical stands in Taipei to check for symptoms of mouth cancer free of charge, in view of the anti-betel-nut campaign month this month.
"If you chew beetle nut, smoke or drink, you must take time out to check the condition of your mouth," said Lee Chieh-fang (李玠芳), deputy director of the health promotion department in the Department of Health.
Lee said the probability of beetle nut chewers and smokers getting mouth cancer compared to the rest of the population are 28 and 18 times higher, respectively.
Those who do both, are 89 times more likely to get mouth cancer whilst those who smoke, drink and chew betel nut are 123 times more likely to get mouth cancer.
"In Taiwan, 90 percent of those who have mouth cancer have at some point in their lives been chewing betel nut," Lee said.
He said, however, that with early diagnosis and treatment, 80 percent of those with mouth cancer can survive for five years after onset of the disease.
Diagnosis
"The importance of early diagnosis and early treatment cannot be stressed enough," Lee said.
A mouth-cancer patient surnamed Liang, who offered to share his experiences, said, "I had been chewing betel nut for over 35 years by the time I was diagnosed with mouth cancer. Although I had had a tumor in my mouth for some time, it didn't bother me since it didn't hurt. But when I finally went for a check-up and the doctor told me it was a malignant tumor, I couldn't stop myself crying."
Liang said that in the hospital ward where he was treated, eight out of 10 patients with mouth cancer used to chew betel nut. Liang himself used to be a drinker, too, and now still smokes.
Advice
Advising people to quit beetle-nut chewing, Liang said, "Although you may not worry about it now, once you get diagnosed with mouth cancer, it will be too late to stop the damage."
With betel-nut chewing common among the nation's taxi drivers, medical stands have been set up at two taxi stops along Chung-shan N Road, Section 3 (under the Chienguo N Road viaduct), to check drivers' mucous membranes for cancer symptoms.
Check-ups will be performed from 11am to 3pm, Mondays to Fridays, from Dec. 1 to Dec. 16.
LOW RISK: Most nations do not extradite people accused of political crimes, and the UN says extradition can only happen if the act is a crime in both countries, an official said China yesterday issued wanted notices for two Taiwanese influencers, accusing them of committing “separatist acts” by criticizing Beijing, amid broadening concerns over China’s state-directed transnational repression. The Quanzhou Public Security Bureau in a notice posted online said police are offering a reward of up to 25,000 yuan (US$3,523) for information that could contribute to the investigation or apprehension of pro-Taiwanese independence YouTuber Wen Tzu-yu (溫子渝),who is known as Pa Chiung (八炯) online, and rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源). Wen and Chen are suspected of spreading content that supported secession from China, slandered Chinese policies that benefit Taiwanese and discrimination against Chinese spouses of
ALIGNED THINKING: Taiwan and Japan have a mutual interest in trade, culture and engineering, and can work together for stability, Cho Jung-tai said Taiwan and Japan are two like-minded countries willing to work together to form a “safety barrier” in the Indo-Pacific region, Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) yesterday said at the opening ceremony of the 35th Taiwan-Japan Modern Engineering and Technology Symposium in Taipei. Taiwan and Japan are close geographically and closer emotionally, he added. Citing the overflowing of a barrier lake in the Mataian River (馬太鞍溪) in September, Cho said the submersible water level sensors given by Japan during the disaster helped Taiwan monitor the lake’s water levels more accurately. Japan also provided a lot of vaccines early in the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,
PROMOTION: Travelers who want a free stopover must book their flights with designated travel agents, such as Lion Travel, Holiday Tours, Cola Tour and Life Tours Air Canada yesterday said it is offering Taiwanese travelers who are headed to North America free stopovers if they transit though airports in Japan and South Korea. The promotion was launched in response to a potential rise in demand for flights to North America in June and July next year, when the US, Canada and Mexico are scheduled to jointly host the FIFA World Cup, Air Canada said. Air Canada offers services to 13 of the 16 host cities of the tournament’s soccer games, including Toronto and Vancouver; Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey in Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Boston; Dallas; Houston;
The US approved the possible sale to Taiwan of fighter jet spare and repair parts for US$330 million, the Pentagon said late yesterday, marking the first such potential transaction since US President Donald Trump took office in January. "The proposed sale will improve the recipient's capability to meet current and future threats by maintaining the operational readiness of the recipient's fleet of F-16, C-130," and other aircraft, the Pentagon said in a statement. Trump previously said that Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) has told him he would not invade Taiwan while the Republican leader is in office. The announcement of the possible arms
RSS