Nearly 870,000 people received government-funded colorectal cancer screenings in the first five months of this year after eligibility for the procedure was expanded, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said.
Colorectal cancer is the second-most common type of cancer in Taiwan, with 17,643 new cases in 2022, the HPA said, citing its cancer registry data.
While nearly 90 percent of people who have the disease are 50 or older, the incidence rate in people aged 45 to 49 has been increasing, it said.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
At the start of this year, eligibility for government-funded colorectal cancer screenings was expanded to include people aged 45 to 74, as well as people aged 40 to 44 with a family history of colorectal cancer.
Those who are eligible can receive a free fecal occult blood test every two years.
As of last month, nearly 870,000 people had been screened this year, up 43.57 percent from the same period last year, the HPA said.
Colorectal cancer can develop without noticeable early symptoms, so it can easily be neglected, but studies suggested that getting a fecal occult blood test every two years can reduce the incidence rate of advanced-stage colorectal cancer by 29 percent and mortality by 35 percent, it said.
People who have an abnormal result from the test do not need to panic, but should cooperate with the healthcare facility and get a colonoscopy, the HPA said, adding that most colon polyps can be removed during the procedure, preventing them from growing into colorectal cancer.
The five-year survival rate of stage 0 or stage 1 colorectal cancer is above 90 percent, but it drops below 20 percent for stage 4, so early detection and intervention is crucial, it said.
A fecal occult blood test is a non-invasive screening method used to detect hidden blood in the stool that is not visible to the naked eye, the HPA said, adding that no special preparations or diet are required before the test.
Those who are eligible for the free test should take their National Health Insurance card to a contracted hospital or clinic to pick up a sample collection tube, it said.
They can use wooden implement provided to scrape stool into the tube after a bowel movement at home before returning it to be tested, it said.
People should take care of their gut health by maintaining healthy habits and getting a fecal occult blood test regularly, it added.
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