Taipei City Hospital yesterday said that it would continue to expand its endometrial cancer screening capacity after a city councilor called for action, citing the death this year of former DPP Taipei city councilor Hsu Chia-pei (許家蓓), who had endometrial cancer.
Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Taipei City Councilor Yen Juo-fang (顏若芳) said in a document calling on the Taipei Health Department to make plans to improve screening for endometrial cancer that Hsu was diagnosed with the disease in May and died last month.
Public awareness about cervical cancer prevention has improved in the past few years, as the central government since 1995 has provided free pap smears for women aged 30 or older, while the Health Promotion Administration pushes to increase HPV vaccination rates, leading to fewer cases and lower mortality rates, Yen said.
Photo coutesy of Taipei City Hospital Women And Children Campus
However, uterine cancer cases have been increasing, with Taiwan’s cancer registry report showing that new cases rose from 1,757 in 2012 to 3,205 in 2021, she said.
Among them, endometrial cancer cases — which account for about 90 percent of new uterine cancer cases each year — increased from 1,663 in 2012 to 3,000 in 2021, or up about 80 percent in a decade, she said.
In Taipei alone, cases rose from 257 in 2012 to 384 in 2021, an uptick of 49 percent, she said, adding that it is likely the yearly cases of uterine cancer would soon exceed those of cervical cancer.
Many factors affect the risk of developing endometrial cancer, including having had endometrial hyperplasia, taking substances that affect hormone levels, and obesity, Yen said.
In 2021 endometrial cancer was for the first time among the 10 most common causes of female cancer deaths, she said.
Citing the rise in case numbers, she asked the health department and Taipei City Hospital to expand endometrial cancer screening capacity, as well as conduct studies to verify whether the new 3D ultrasonography methods are reliable and accurate for screening endometrial cancer.
Taipei City Hospital said that its Renai Branch and Heping Fuyou Branch have specialized endometrial cancer outpatient clinics, and with the support and supervision of the health department, the hospital is conducting research on endometrial cancer screening methods, with the results to be shared with the medical field.
The hospital accepts the city councilor’s suggestion to increase 3D ultrasonography capacity and personnel trained to operate the equipment to expand screening capacity, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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