Tue, Aug 02, 2022 page3

• Group shares five tips to prevent lung cancer

  • By Lee I-chia / Staff reporter
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  The number of people diagnosed with lung cancer each year has tripled in the past two decades, the Formosa Cancer Foundation (FCF) said, urging people to try to prevent lung cancer using five steps.

  To mark World Lung Cancer Day, held annually on Aug. 1, the foundation on Saturday last week launched a campaign inviting participants to test their pulmonary function by climbing stairs and sharing a photograph of the activity with a hashtag to raise public awareness of lung cancer.

  Cancer has been the leading cause of death in Taiwan for 15 consecutive years, killing nearly 10,000 people every year, the foundation said, adding that lung cancer is the second-most commonly diagnosed cancer behind breast cancer.

  

  Representatives from the Formosa Cancer Foundation pose for a picture at a news conference in Taipei on Thursday.

  Photo: CNA

  A total of 16,233 people were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2019 alone, which is about 45 new cases a day, it said.

  FCF chief executive officer Lai Gi-ming (賴基銘) said the number of people diagnosed with lung cancer each year in Taiwan has tripled in the past 20 years.

  There are three common features of lung cancer — it is the leading cause of cancer mortality, it is often diagnosed at later stages and its treatment takes a heavy proportion of National Health Insurance expenditure, he said, adding that there are typically no signs or symptoms in the early stages of lung cancer.

  Lai said that although about 90 percent of female patients with lung cancer are non-smokers, they might have neglected other risk factors.

  For example, the foundation said a 50-year-old woman surnamed Tan (譚) received a low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan to monitor her lung condition after her father was hospitalized with tuberculosis. The first scan revealed that she had chronic inflammation of the lung, which developed into a 6mm solid nodule two years later.

  The foundation said that although Tan is a non-smoker, she uses incense to worship her household deity and ancestors three times a day, and cooks in a confined kitchen with a very old extraction fan.

  While smoking rates are declining, Lai said many people often neglect risk factors such as exposure to fumes given off by cooking, burning incense, secondhand smoke, vehicle exhausts and other fine particles in the air.

  He said the FCF recommends five tips to prevent lung cancer, including avoiding cigarette smoke, as well as cooking oil fumes and other harmful substances.

  Regular exercise is also advised, as studies show that exercising for at least 15 minutes per day can reduce the risk of lung cancer death by 10 percent, Lai said.

  Other tips include having regular screening tests, as lung cancer survival is higher if a lobectomy or sublobar resection is conducted when the tumor measures less than 1cm, Lai said, adding that the screening tests can catch early-stage disease as LDCT scans detect abnormalities with a diameter as small as 3mm.

  The Health Promotion Administration offers a free LDCT scan every two years to adults considered at high risk of lung cancer. This includes men aged 50 to 74 and women aged 45 to 74 with parents, children or siblings who have been diagnosed with lung cancer; heavy smokers aged 50 to 74; and individuals who have smoked for at least 30 years.

  “Avoid long-term occupational exposure to hazardous substances,” such as asbestos, radiation and paint, and “keep a healthy diet,” with less red meat, more fiber, foods with a lower fat content, and more fruit and vegetables, Lai said.

  The stair climbing test can be used to evaluate pulmonary function — “zero to 30 steps” per minute indicates weakness of the lungs which should be followed-up with a screening test if other respiratory symptoms are present, the foundation said.

  “Thirty to 40 steps” per minute indicate normal lung function, while “50 to 80 steps” indicate strong and healthy lungs.
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