The number of women who underwent breast cancer screenings last year rose 36.3 percent from the previous year, after eligibility for publicly funded breast cancer screenings was expanded, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) said on Monday.
Ahead of International Women’s Day on Sunday, the agency is encouraging women to make their health a priority and invite their mothers, sisters and friends to get breast cancer screenings together.
Breast cancer had the highest standardized incidence rate among all cancers in women in 2023, and in 2024, it had the second-highest mortality rate among cancers in women, HPA and Ministry of Health and Welfare data showed.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung Department of Health
To improve early detection and reduce mortality risk of breast cancer, the HPA expanded the eligibility of its publicly funded breast cancer screening program — a mammogram once every two years — to women aged 40 to 74, starting from Jan. 1 last year.
After the expansion, the number of women who underwent breast cancer screenings last year increased by 36.3 percent, the agency said.
About 326,000 people in the expanded eligibility — aged 40 to 44 and aged 70 to 74 — underwent a mammography last year, accounting for 25.9 percent of total screenings, it said.
Mammography is globally recognized as the most effective evidence-based breast cancer screening tool, as it can detect microcalcifications and early-stage tumors before symptoms appear, the HPA said.
The procedure is quick and involves low doses of radiation, and modern equipment has significantly reduced discomfort, it said.
Domestic and international studies have shown that getting mammograms regularly can reduce the incidence of late-stage breast cancer by about 30 percent and the mortality rate by about 41 percent, it said, adding that the five-year survival rate of early detected and treated breast cancer is more than 99 percent.
HPA cancer registry data for 2023 showed that 62.9 percent of cases detected through screenings were in the early stages (0 and 1), the agency said.
Among those who did not receive screenings, only 34.9 percent were diagnosed at an early stage, it added.
International Women’s Day is not only about celebrating women’s achievements, but also a reminder to women to view their health as a priority, the HPA said.
Many women delay breast cancer screenings due to busy daily schedules or concern about potential discomfort, resulting in delayed detection and late treatment, it said, adding that getting a screening with family members or friends can help ease stress and serve as a reminder to get tested regularly.
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was sentenced to six months in prison, commutable to a fine, by the New Taipei District Court today for contravening the Personal Data Protection Act (個人資料保護法) in a case linked to an alleged draft-dodging scheme. Wang allegedly paid NT$3.6 million (US$114,380) to an illegal group to help him evade mandatory military service through falsified medical documents, prosecutors said. He transferred the funds to Chen Chih-ming (陳志明), the alleged mastermind of a draft-evasion ring, although he lost contact with him as he was already in detention on fraud charges, they said. Chen is accused of helping a
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
RSS