Low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans using technology developed by National Taiwan University Hospital can increase the accuracy rate of identifying abnormalities by 25 percent when screening for lung cancer, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday.
The scans using artificial intelligence support systems developed by the hospital are available in seven hospitals nationwide, and people in high-risk groups are eligible for the screenings, such as those with a family history of lung cancer or those with an extended history of heavy smoking, the agency said.
In 2021, 16,880 people were diagnosed with lung cancer, with most of their diagnoses confirmed only at the terminal stage, when the five-year-survival rate is about 10 percent, it said.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
LDCT scans have been shown to increase a doctor’s ability to diagnose lung cancers at an early stage and reduce the fatality rate for heavy smokers by 50 percent, it said.
Early detection and treatment of lung cancer could increase survival rates by 90 percent or more within five years of a diagnosis, the HPA said.
Pulmonary cancer in its early stages usually takes the form of nodules, the size of which is often a factor in determining whether they are benign or malignant, National Taiwan University Hospital Department of Medical Imaging Division of Cardiopulmonary Diagnoses director Chang Chung (張允中) said.
LDCT scans help doctors make such determinations, as some nodules are so small they are nearly indiscernible from a blood vessel, Chang said.
Attempting to make those distinctions with the naked eye often results in misjudgements, he added.
In an HPA-commissioned project, the hospital, National Taiwan University and a team of engineers developed an artificial intelligence support system for LDCT scans, which received a category two equipment designation from the Food and Drug Administration in February.
The system’s sensitivity enables it to detect nodules smaller than 4mm with a 90 percent accuracy rate and gauge whether the nodules were hollow, solid or partially solid, or ground-glass nodules, Chang said.
Doctors can save a lot of time by fine-tuning the scans based on their experience, he said.
People who undergo the scans should not be alarmed if many nodules are detected, as the number of pulmonary nodules is not a factor in diagnosing lung cancer, he said.
They should discuss the scan results with their doctor and make follow-up visits to monitor changes to the nodules, which would help their doctor identify risks early and start treatment, he added.
Eight restaurants in Taiwan yesterday secured a one-star rating from the Michelin Guide Taiwan for the first time, while three one-star restaurants from last year’s edition were promoted to two stars. Forty-three restaurants were awarded one star this year, including 34 in Taipei, five in Taichung and four in Kaohsiung. Hosu (好嶼), Chuan Ya (川雅), Sushi Kajin (鮨嘉仁), aMaze (心宴), La Vie by Thomas Buhner, Yuan Yi (元一) and Frassi in Taipei and Front House (方蒔) in Kaohsiung received a one-star rating for the first time. Hosu is known for innovative Taiwanese dishes, while Chuan Ya serves Sichuan cuisine and aMaze specializes
Taitung County is to launch charter flights to Malaysia at the end of this year, after setting up flights to Vietnam and Thailand, the Taitung County Government said yesterday. The new charter flight services, provided by low-cost carrier Batik Air Malaysia, would be part of five-day tour packages for visits to Taitung County or Malaysia. The Batik Air charter flight, with about 200 seats, would take Malaysian tourists to Taitung on Dec. 30 and then at 12:35pm return to Kuala Lumpur with Taiwanese tourists. Another charter flight would bring the Taiwanese home on Jan. 3 next year, arriving at 5:30pm, before taking the
Taiwan High Speed Rail Corp. (THSRC) plans to ease strained capacity during peak hours by introducing new fare rules restricting passengers traveling without reserved seats in 2026, company Chairman Shih Che (史哲) said Wednesday. THSRC needs to tackle its capacity issue because there have been several occasions where passengers holding tickets with reserved seats did not make it onto their train in stations packed with individuals traveling without a reserved seat, Shih told reporters in a joint interview in Taipei. Non-reserved seats allow travelers maximum flexibility, but it has led to issues relating to quality of service and safety concerns, especially during
An exhibition celebrating Taiwan and Japan’s comic culture opened on Saturday in Taichung, featuring a section that explores Taiwanese reproductions of Japanese comics from when martial law limited Japanese representation. “A Century of Manga Culture: An Encounter of Taiwan and Japan’s Youth” held its Taiwan opening ceremony at Taichung’s National Taiwan Museum of Comics after an initial one-month run in Japan’s Kyoto International Manga Museum between May 24 and June 24. Much like the Kyoto exhibition, the show mainly celebrates the comic connection between Taiwan and Japan through late Taiwanese comic book
RSS