Expanded eligibility criteria and new tests for national cancer screening programs are to be introduced on Wednesday next week, Minister of Health and Welfare Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) told a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
The Health Promotion Administration (HPA) is to expand eligibility for subsidies for cervical cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer and lung cancer screenings, Chiu said.
The programs have “significantly contributed to improving Taiwan’s public health,” he said.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
HPA data showed that 4.87 million cancer screenings were conducted under the programs last year, leading to the identification of about 11,000 cases, he added.
Lin Li-ju (林莉茹), head of the HPA’s Cancer Prevention and Control Division, told reporters that the expanded coverage would also be available to foreigners enrolled in the National Health Insurance (NHI) system.
The subsidies would “fully cover” the costs of the four screening types, Lin said.
For colorectal cancer screening, eligibility for subsidized fecal occult blood tests once every two years would be expanded from the age range of 50-74 to include those aged 45 to 74, the HPA said.
People aged 40 to 44 with a family history of colorectal cancer will also be eligible for the colorectal cancer screening subsidies, it said.
For cervical cancer screenings, the eligible age for subsidized Pap smear tests would be lowered from 30 to 25, it said.
Testing services for human papillomavirus (HPV) — which can cause cervical cancer and cancers of external genital organs — would be added as a one-time test for women at age 35, 45 and 65, the HPA said.
For breast cancer screenings, subsidized mammograms once every two years would be available for women aged 40 to 74, expanded from 45 to 70, it added.
To screen for lung cancer, eligibility for subsidized low-dose computed tomography (LCRT) scans once every two years would be offered to people with a family history of the disease aged 45 to 74 for men and 40 to 74 for women, expanded from 50 to 74 and 45 to 74 respectively, it said.
Subsidized LCRT tests would also be available for people aged 50 to 74 with a history of heavy smoking, the HPA added.
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