Taipei: Regular cancer screenings can extend life expectancy by years and reduce the likelihood of cancer-related death, officials and experts said Monday at a press conference attended by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Taiwan Association of Medical Screening (TAMS).
According to Focus Taiwan, TAMS Director Chuang Shao-yuan highlighted that women who undergo mammography screenings live an average of 3.38 years longer than those who do not. He emphasized the benefits of various screenings, noting that fecal occult blood tests for colorectal cancer can increase life expectancy by an average of 3.10 years, pap smears by 2.33 years, and oral mucosal screenings by 0.59 years for at-risk groups.
Echoing Chuang’s sentiments, TAMS Chairman Hsu Chen-yang stated that women who undergo screenings for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers can live eight to nine years longer on average compared to those who forego these tests.
A press release from the Health Promotion Administration (HPA), a branch of the health ministry, further underscored these points by stating that regular screenings significantly lower cancer mortality rates, reducing deaths from breast cancer by 41 percent, colorectal cancer by 40 percent, and cervical cancer by approximately 70 percent.
HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun, also present at the event, announced that Taiwan offers free screenings for breast, colorectal, cervical, and oral cancers. He mentioned the continuous efforts by the HPA to expand the groups eligible for testing and urged all eligible individuals to get screened promptly.
According to health ministry data, Taiwan reported 130,293 new cancer cases in 2022, and 54,032 deaths due to cancer in 2024. Lin Li-ju, head of the HPA’s Cancer Prevention Division, remarked that Taiwan’s standardized cancer mortality rate is decreasing. She highlighted that the five-year survival rate for stage 0 cancer currently exceeds 90 percent, but this rate drops to just 30 percent for stage 4 cancer.
The press release also noted that Taiwan’s health ministry has been promoting cancer screenings since 2010, emphasizing the ongoing commitment to enhancing public health through early detection and prevention strategies.