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.
SECURITY: Starlink owner Elon Musk has taken pro-Beijing positions, and allowing pro-China companies to control Taiwan’s critical infrastructure is risky, a legislator said Starlink was reluctant to offer services in Taiwan because of the nation’s extremely high penetration rates in 4G and 5G services, the Ministry of Digital Affairs said yesterday. The ministry made the comments at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, which reviewed amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act (電信管理法). Article 36 bans foreigners from holding more than 49 percent of shares in public telecommunications networks, while shares foreigners directly and indirectly hold are also capped at 60 percent of the total, unless specified otherwise by law. The amendments, sponsored by Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Ko
The eastern extension of the Taipei MRT Red Line could begin operations as early as late June, the Taipei Department of Rapid Transit Systems said yesterday. Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said it is considering offering one month of free rides on the new section to mark its opening. Construction progress on the 1.4km extension, which is to run from the current terminal Xiangshan Station to a new eastern terminal, Guangci/Fengtian Temple Station, was 90.6 percent complete by the end of last month, the department said in a report to the Taipei City Council's Transportation Committee. While construction began in October 2016 with an
NON-RED SUPPLY: Boosting the nation’s drone industry is becoming increasingly urgent as China’s UAV dominance could become an issue in a crisis, an analyst said Taiwan’s drone exports to Europe grew 41.7-fold from 2024 to last year, with demand from Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression the most likely driver of growth, a study showed. The Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) in a statement on Wednesday said it found that many of Taiwan’s uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) sales were from Poland and the Czech Republic. These countries likely transferred the drones to Ukraine to aid it in its fight against the Russian invasion that started in 2022, it said. Despite the gains, Taiwan is not the dominant drone exporter to these markets, ranking second and fourth
The New Taipei City Art Museum this weekend plans to celebrate its first anniversary with a two-day extravaganza featuring live concerts and a large-scale synchronized fireworks and drone display, the New Taipei City Cultural Affairs Department said. The two-day celebrations are to take place in the museum’s outdoor park, with markets and live performances by singers including Ann Bai (白安), Bii (畢書盡) and the Cosmos People (宇宙人), the department said. The highlight on both evenings would be the "Echoes of Light" show, an aerial spectacle combining fireworks and drone performances designed around the concept of "dual stages in the sky," it
RSS