Cancer was the leading cause of death in Taiwan last year, continuing a 40-year trend, the Ministry of Health and Welfare reported yesterday.
Ministry data showed that 51,656 deaths, or 28 percent of the total of 184,172 deaths in Taiwan last year, were caused by cancer.
The most deadly kinds were tracheal, bronchus and lung cancer, the data showed.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
The most common causes of death other than cancer were heart disease, pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, accidents or unintentional injuries, chronic lower respiratory diseases, nephritic syndrome and liver disease, the data showed.
Last year’s mortality rate of 784.8 deaths per 100,000 people was 6.9 percent higher than in 2020, but still the second-lowest on record, while the median age at death was 77 years, the ministry said.
The year-on-year increase in mortality was mainly due to population aging, as well as a cold snap in January last year and COVID-19, it said.
Compared with 2020, deaths from pneumonia decreased 1.4 percent, while deaths from high blood pressure, diabetes and chronic lower respiratory diseases increased 17.6 percent, 11.0 percent and 10.3 percent respectively, it said.
COVID-19, which was registered as the cause of 896 deaths last year, was the 19th most common cause of death, the ministry said.
Among those younger than 25 years, accidents and unintentional injuries were the leading cause of death, while cancer and suicide ranked first and second for people aged 25 to 44, and cancer and heart disease were the most common causes of death for those aged 45 or older, it said.
The ministry advised people to regularly seek the recommended cancer screenings to reduce the risk of death from the disease.
Women aged 30 or older should undergo yearly screening for cervical cancer, while women aged 45 to 69 should get a mammogram every two years, the ministry said.
People aged 50 to 74 should get a fecal occult blood test every two years to screen for bowel cancer, it said.
Current and former smokers and betel nut chewers aged 30 or older should undergo oral cancer screenings twice a year, the ministry said.
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