The country recorded 67,896 new cancer cases in 2004 and another 68,907 new cases in 2005, meaning one person was diagnosed with cancer every seven minutes, a report released yesterday by the Department of Health (DOH) showed.
Among the new cases recorded in 2004, 39,075 cases involved men and 28,821 cases involved women, with the sex-specific crude incidence rates standing at 339 in every 100,000 men and 259 in every 100,000 women, the report said.
For the new cases recorded in 2005, 39,431 involved men and 29,476 involved women, with the sex-specific crude incidence rate standing at 341 in every 100,000 men and 263 in every 100,000 women.
During those two years, the top 10 most prevalent types of cancer among men were liver cancer, colorectal cancer, cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lungs, oral cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, esophagus cancer, bladder cancer, skin cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer, in that order.
Among women, the top 10 most prevalent types of cancer were breast cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lungs, cervical cancer, stomach cancer, thyroid cancer, skin cancer, uterine cancer, and cancer of the ovary, fallopian tube and broad ligament.
During the 2001 to 2005 period, the cancer incidence rate for men increased by 3.7 percent, with oral cancer, colorectal cancer, prostate cancer and esophagus cancer registering the largest increase at 18 percent, 16 percent, 13 percent and 8 percent respectively the report said.
The cancer incidence rate for women rose by 2.1 percent during the same period, with breast cancer, uterine cancer, and colorectal cancer seeing the largest increase at 22 percent, 21 percent and 8 percent respectively. The incidence rate of cervical cancer, however, declined significantly by 31 percent, the report said.
Chao Kun-yu (趙坤郁), deputy director-general of the Bureau of Health Promotion, attributed the increase in the number of men suffering from oral cancer and esophagus cancer to the popularity of unhealthy habits such as betel-nut chewing, smoking and drinking.
Chao ascribed the sharp decrease in the number of women suffering from cervical cancer to the rising number of women receiving screening for the disease.
Chao said the likelihood of men surviving five years after being diagnosed with cancer stands at only 40 percent — lower than the 63 percent for women. The five-year survival rate for men suffering from lung cancer, liver cancer and esophagus cancer is only 10 percent to 20 percent.
The report also revealed that the average age at the time of cancer diagnosis was 65 for men and 59 for women during the 2004 to 2005 period.
For men aged 25 to 44, the five types of cancer recording the highest incidence rates were oral cancer, liver cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, colorectal cancer and cancer of the trachea, bronchus and lungs.
For women in the same age group, the top five most common types of cancer were breast cancer, thyroid cancer, cervical cancer, colorectal cancer and ovarian cancer, the report said
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
RSS