About 220,000 people test positive for suspected cancer in screenings each year in Taiwan, but about 20 percent never receive follow-up tests or treatment, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said on Tuesday, adding that it would allocate NT$517 million (US$16.8 million) of National Health Insurance (NHI) funding to increase the follow-up rate.
Health Promotion Administration (HPA) data showed that 121,979 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2020 — meaning that one person in Taiwan is diagnosed every four minutes and 19 seconds, the ministry said.
However, as many cancers do not have any noticeable early symptoms, they are often not detected until it is too late, it said.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
The HPA offers five types of government-funded cancer screening for adults, and about 5 million people received the screenings each year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but only about 80 percent of those who test positive for cancer received follow-up tests and treatment, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said.
Those who test positive, but do not receive follow-up tests or early treatment could develop late-stage cancers, which would have worse prognoses and require more medical resources to treat, he said.
The HPA and the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) are today to launch a program working with hospitals to track suspected cancer cases from government-funded screenings and assist them in getting follow-up tests and treatment, he said.
The NHIA is to allocate NT$517 million to the program, with a goal to increase the rate of getting follow-up care to at least 90 percent, which is expected to benefit about 22,000 people, he added.
HPA Cancer Prevention and Control Division Director Lin Li-ju (林莉茹) said the program would establish a comprehensive mechanism for cancer screening, follow-up testing, diagnosing, administrating health consultations and referring people for treatment.
People who are eligible for government-funded screenings are advised to get them regularly, she said.
The five types of cancer screenings are fecal occult blood tests to detect colorectal cancer, oral cancer screenings, pap smears to detect cervical cancer, mammograms to detect breast cancer and low-dose computed tomography scans to detect lung cancer.
People who receive an abnormal test result do not have to panic, but they should follow instructions provided by the clinic or hospital and get a follow-up test for confirm the results, and seek early treatment if they are diagnosed with cancer, Lin said.
Regarding whether NHI funds should be used for preventive care rather than for treatment, Hsueh said the program would achieve both, as detecting diseases in their early stages and prescribing early treatment allows for more effective control over illnesses.
For example, people who receive an abnormal result from a fecal occult blood test might encouraged to get a colonoscopy, and if hyperplastic polyps are found and removed, it would not only qualify as preventive care, but as treatment, he said.
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