A Taipei Medical University research team found that the hemoglobin concentration levels resulting from fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) can predict the risk and mortality of colorectal cancer, and could be used to suggest the interval between screenings.
The research team was led by the university’s College of Oral Medicine associate dean Sam Chen (陳立昇) and Amy Yen (嚴明芳), and the study was published in May in JAMA Oncology, a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal.
Colorectal cancer was the third leading cause of cancer deaths in Taiwan last year, Chen said, adding that government-funded FOBT is offered every two years to people aged 50 to 74 for routine screening of colorectal cancer.
Photo courtesy of the Hsinchu County Government
The cohort study included data from more than 3.5 million people who received the FOBT from 2004 and 2014, and followed up until 2019. It analyzed the data to study the relationship between fecal hemoglobin concentration and colorectal tumors, and death from colorectal cancer.
Chen said they found that increasing fecal hemoglobin concentration levels indicate more colorectal tumors and higher colorectal cancer mortality risk, allowing for stratification of risk groups, and can be used for calibrating suitable screening intervals.
Usually, a hemoglobin concentration level above 20mcg/g is considered positive, with a higher risk of cancer and requiring a colonoscopy follow-up, he said.
About half of those who had a positive FOBT result were detected to have polyps in a colonoscopy follow-up, while about 20 percent had progressive polyps, and about 5 percent had colorectal cancer, he said.
Chen said their study found that fecal hemoglobin concentration levels can be used to more accurately assess colorectal cancer risk and mortality rates, and to personalize screening intervals, with shorter intervals for higher fecal hemoglobin levels.
The biennial FOBT has been proven to reduce the risk of late-stage colorectal cancer by 29 percent and the risk of colorectal cancer death by 35 percent, he said.
Their findings further demonstrated how to achieve precision inter-screening intervals for optimizing the use of FOBT and colonoscopy, he said.
With personalized fecal hemoglobin concentration screening, FOBTs can be reduced by 49 percent and colonoscopies by 28 percent, he said, adding that this could optimize medical resources, and reduce unnecessary testing and risks while ensuring that high-risk groups get necessary testing and treatment promptly.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai