Taiwan’s “cancer death clock,” rate was 8 seconds faster in 2013 than in 2012, a Health Promotion Administration (HPA) report for 2013 that was released yesterday shows.
The clock indicated that one new patient was diagnosed with cancer every 5 minutes, 18 seconds in 2013, the report said.
That compared with a rate of 6 minutes, 2 seconds in 2009.
The report showed that 99,143 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2013, an increase of 2,449 people from the previous year. The median of cancer incidence ages stood at 62, the report said.
The data show that 424 out of 100,000 people in Taiwan were diagnosed with cancer in 2013, meaning one in 236 people, the HPA said.
The report said that the highest incidences in both sexes among Taiwanese were colon, lung, liver and breast cancers — in that order — the same as 2012.
Each of the four cancer categories affected more than 10,000 people in 2013, with the sum accounting for more than 50 percent of the total number of cancer patients, the report said.
Colon cancer was top of the incidence list, affecting one person every 34.7 minutes in 2013, the report said, adding that this type of cancer has dominated the list for eight years.
HPA director-general Chiou Shu-ti (邱淑媞) reminded people of the importance of health checks, saying that screening tests have been proven efficient in discovering pre-cancerous cells so people can receive medical treatment before cancer develops.
An HPA analysis shows that the colon cancer incidence rate and death rate among men are both higher than among women in Taiwan and the screening rate for men is lower, Chiu said, adding that pathological problems of the colon are common in Taiwan.
Data show that one in 21 people aged from 50 to 74 are diagnosed with pre-cancerous lesions or cancer during screening tests, Chiu said, urging people to have health checks on a routine basis, even when they do not feel sick.
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