Colorectal cancer — also known as colon cancer, rectal cancer, or bowel cancer — ranked No. 2 in the top 10 causes of cancer deaths, killing 4,903 people, in Taipei in 2014, the Taipei Department of Health said, urging people to have fecal occult blood tests regularly to help detect colon cancer in its early stages.
Colon cancer is the most common type of cancer in Taiwan and the number of people diagnosed with the disease is increasing rapidly, the agency said, adding that statistics from 2014 showed that on average, one Taipei resident dies of colon cancer every one hour and 47 minutes.
Taipei Daan District Health Center Director Chou Chen-cheng (周真貞) said a fecal occult blood test can help discover early-stage colon cancer and the cure rate is higher when diagnosed in its early stages.
The five-year survival rate for colon cancer is about 86 percent at stage zero, 82 percent at stage one, 71 percent at stage two, 59 percent at stage three and about 11.4 percent at stage four, she said.
In the early stages of colon cancer, symptoms can be minimal or not present, but colon cancer or colorectal polyps can be detected in fecal occult blood tests, she said, adding that diagnostic accuracy in colon cancer screening is about 60 to 80 percent.
Lin Yi-chen (林怡辰), a nutritionist at Taipei City Hospital’s Renai Branch, said a balanced diet is the most important part of preventing colon cancer, and that people should consume sufficient fiber and reduce consumption of saturated animal fats.
As many people frequently eat out, they should remember to eat at least half a bowl of cooked vegetables and the same of fruit — about the size of their fist — with every meal, she said.
Reducing the amount of processed food, food high in fats, red meat and deep fried food in the diet are also important, Lin added.
The department said Taipei residents aged between 50 and 75 should make use of free government-funded fecal occult blood tests every two years.
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