Colorectal cancer has the highest incidence among all cancers for men in Taiwan, but at least 230,000 fewer men than women received a government-funded screening for the disease over the past six months, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said yesterday.
Colorectal cancer has for years ranked among the top three cancers in incidence and mortality in Taiwan. Data from the Ministry of Health and Welfare showed that colorectal cancer’s mortality ranked third among the top 10 cancers in the nation last year and caused 7,000 deaths.
Colorectal cancer’s incidence ranked second among the top 10 cancers in 2022, with 17,643 new cases reported in the year, of which 9,989 were men, making the disease top on the list of cancer incidences for men in Taiwan, the data showed.
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Given that colorectal cancer shows no symptoms in the early stage, regular screenings are crucial to promptly detect the disease.
Empirical studies showed that receiving a fecal immunochemical test (FIT) every two years can reduce the incidence and mortality of colorectal cancer by 29 percent and 35 percent respectively.
The government has expanded the scope of free screenings for colorectal cancer screenings this year, allowing people aged 40 to 44 with a family history of the disease, as well as people aged 45 to 74 ,to take the test every two years, the agency said.
The program has been implemented for more than six months, with more than 1.03 million people having taken the test as of Wednesday last week, up 26.24 percent from the same period last year, the data showed.
However, only 402,000 men received screenings — compared with 635,000 women — despite men being the high-risk group, the data showed.
People with abnormal FIT results are advised to undergo a colonoscopy as soon as possible to find and remove potential polyps, preventing the disease from developing or exacerbating, the agency said.
People who have early-stage colorectal cancer and receive proper treatment have a survival rate of more than 90 percent, it said.
FIT is not invasive, and fasting is not required, it said.
People can take an FIT by visiting a medical facility to pick up a stool sample kit and bring the sample back to the facility for screening, it said, urging the public to take the test to protect their health.
Additional reporting by Chiu Chih-jou
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