The nation’s level of cancer treatment has kept pace with other countries and will remain among the leaders in proton radiation therapy, Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川) said yesterday after his agency nixed a foundation’s plan to introduce heavy-ion therapy to Taiwan last month.
“Taiwan can already be considered among the leading countries [in the area of cancer treatment],” Yeh told at a committee hearing in the legislature when asked if the country was in immediate need of the heavy-ion therapy.
Yeh said proton radiation therapy was more effective than heavy-ion therapy, noting that Hon Hai Group chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) donated NT$15 billion (US$463.9 million) last year to National Taiwan University Hospital to build the country’s first proton therapy center.
The questions were raised after Evergreen Group chairman Chang Yung-fa (張榮發) angrily denounced the department on Monday for rejecting his foundation’s proposal to build a cancer center equipped with a heavy-ion treatment facility.
Chang said the foundation had abandoned the project, which would cost between NT$6 billion and NT$10 billion, and he would fire the center’s preparatory team.
Advocates of heavy-ion radiotherapy believe it is more effective at killing tumors than proton therapy while causing less damage to healthy tissue.
In rejecting Chang’s proposal, the department said high radiation heavy-ion therapy was dangerous and such treatment would have to pass clinical trials in Taiwan before it could be approved.
Bureau of Medical Affairs Director Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said such clinical tests could only be conducted in conjunction with a teaching hospital, so the foundation was not eligible to introduce the equipment on its own.
Yeh said yesterday that he was willing to discuss the project with the foundation and perhaps provide help if the foundation was willing to cooperate with a teaching hospital.
Studies and proof of the safety and efficacy of the technology would have to be presented before heavy-ion therapy could be introduced to Taiwan. If there was insufficient evidence or its efficacy varies among different ethnic groups, clinical trials would be needed to verify its safety.
There are three heavy-ion treatment facilities in the world — two in Japan and one in Germany and a total of 29 proton treatment facilities in 13 countries, the DOH said.
Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Taiwan for almost two decades. More than 40,000 people died of cancer in Taiwan last year.
Trips for more than 100,000 international and domestic air travelers could be disrupted as China launches a military exercise around Taiwan today, Taiwan’s Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) said yesterday. The exercise could affect nearly 900 flights scheduled to enter the Taipei Flight Information Region (FIR) during the exercise window, it added. A notice issued by the Chinese Civil Aviation Administration showed there would be seven temporary zones around the Taiwan Strait which would be used for live-fire exercises, lasting from 8am to 6pm today. All aircraft are prohibited from entering during exercise, it says. Taipei FIR has 14 international air routes and
Taiwan lacks effective and cost-efficient armaments to intercept rockets, making the planned “T-Dome” interception system necessary, two experts said on Tuesday. The concerns were raised after China’s military fired two waves of rockets during live-fire drills around Taiwan on Tuesday, part of two-day exercises code-named “Justice Mission 2025.” The first wave involved 17 rockets launched at 9am from Pingtan in China’s Fujian Province, according to Lieutenant General Hsieh Jih-sheng (謝日升) of the Office of the Deputy Chief of the General Staff for Intelligence at the Ministry of National Defense. Those rockets landed 70 nautical miles (129.6km) northeast of Keelung without flying over Taiwan,
City buses in Taipei and New Taipei City, as well as the Taipei MRT, would on Saturday begin accepting QR code payments from five electronic payment providers, the Taipei Department of Transportation said yesterday. The new option would allow passengers to use the “transportation QR code” feature from EasyWallet, iPass Money, iCash Pay, Jkopay or PXPay Plus. Passengers should open their preferred electronic payment app, select the “transportation code” — not the regular payment code — unlock it, and scan the code at ticket readers or gates, General Planning Division Director-General Liu Kuo-chu (劉國著) said. People should move through the
The Ministry of National Defense (MND) today released images of the military tracking China’s People's Liberation Army (PLA) movements during the latest round of Chinese drills around Taiwan. The PLA began "Justice Mission 2025" drills today, carrying out live-fire drills, simulated strikes on land and maritime targets, and exercises to blockade the nation's main ports. The exercises are to continue tomorrow, with the PLA announcing sea and air space restrictions for five zones around Taiwan for 10 hours starting from 8:30am. The ministry today released images showing a Chinese J-16 fighter jet tracked by a F-16V Block 20 jet and the
RSS