A cancer specialist is advising postmenopausal women to take heed of abnormal vaginal bleeding as it could be a sign of endometrial cancer, which has overtaken cervical and breast cancers to become the most prevalent gynecologic cancer in the nation over the past decade.
“The government’s year-long endeavor to promote regular pap smears may have helped bring down the prevalence of cervical cancer in this country, but noticeable increases in the number of women adopting a Western-style diet and not having children in recent years have greatly raised the endometrial cancer incidence rates,” Kaohsiung Chang Gung Memorial Hospital’s Division of Gynecologic Oncology doctor Wu Chen-hsuan (吳貞璇) was quoted by the Chinese-language United Daily News as saying at a cancer and health forum on Saturday.
According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s statistics, the prevalence of cervical cancer dropped by nearly 50 percent between 2000 and 2010, while that of endometrial cancer increased by 82.3 percent during the same period, which was equivalent to an average of more than 1,700 new endometrial cancer cases each year.
Wu said long-term exposure to estrogen increases a woman’s risk of endometrial cancer, and because estrogen levels were lower during pregnancy, women who have never been pregnant are exposed to estrogen for a longer time and are thus more susceptible to developing the cancer than women who have had children.
Overweight women are also vulnerable to the cancer as they are more prone to infertility, Wu said.
A noticeable increase in blood flow during menstruation or abnormal vaginal bleeding after menopause are common symptoms experienced by nearly 95 percent of endometrial cancer patients, Wu said, advising postmenopausal women who experience those symptoms to seek medical care rather than mistaking them as a “sign of rejuvenation.”
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it