A National Taiwan University (NTU) study shows a positive correlation between the diagnoses of colorectal cancer and screening, suggesting that the age at which colon cancer should be screened should be lowered to 45, which could reduce the number of colorectal cancer diagnoses by 1,800 within the next decade.
Using the Age-Period-Cohort-Screening model, the study showed that Taiwan’s colorectal cancer screening policies had lasting long-term effects on colorectal cancer occurrence rates, said NTU College of Public Health professor Lee Wen-chung (李文宗).
In 2004, the government only screened people aged 50 to 69, with only 4.8 percent of people in that group being screened, Lee said.
Photo: CNA
The government relaxed the regulations in 2010, and the number of people screened reached 23.4 percent of the target groups, he added.
The government further raised the age of people to be screened for colorectal cancer to 74 and older as of 2013, he added.
The results showed that by 2010, colorectal cancer diagnoses for males and females aged 50 to 79 had increased by 19.2 percent and 15.6 percent respectively, but decreased by 3.4 percent and 3.1 percent respectively every year after 2013, Lee said.
As of 2019, if compared with statistics where colorectal cancer was not screened for, the screening policies had prevented 12.4 percent of men and 11.6 percent of women from developing colorectal cancer, he said.
Lee also said that colorectal cancer occurs more often in people born after 1960, with the risk for men and women seeming to peak in the generation born in the 1980s, after which the colorectal cancer risks began to drop.
Risks of colorectal cancer increased significantly among people in Western countries after 1960, Lee said, adding that it is a phenomenon that has yet to be conclusively explained.
Lee said that his research has tracked people born in Taiwan around 1990 and he has yet to find a similar drastic increase in colorectal cancer as in Western countries.
Since 2010, more younger people have been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, Lee said, adding that it is essential to lower the age for colorectal cancer screening to 45.
Lee estimated that if such a policy is enacted by next year, the nation could prevent up to 1,203 colorectal cancer diagnoses in men and 783 in women by 2035, adding that it should be implemented as soon as possible.
Taiwan yesterday expelled four China Coast Guard vessels that entered Taiwan-controlled restricted waters off Lienchiang County (Matsu) shortly after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army announced the start of its “Joint Sword-2024B” drills around Taiwan. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said in a statement that it had detected two China Coast Guard ships west of Nangan Island (南竿) and another two north of Dongyin Island (東引) at 8am yesterday. After Chinese ships sailed into restricted waters off Matsu shortly afterward, the CGA’s Kinmen-Matsu-Penghu Branch deployed four patrol vessels to shadow and approach the vessels, it said. The incidents pushed up to 44 the number
Renovations on the B3 concourse of Taipei Main Station are to begin on Nov. 1, with travelers advised to use entrances near the Taiwan Railway or high-speed rail platforms or information counter to access the MRT’s Red Line. Construction is to be completed before the end of next year, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp said last week. To reduce the impact on travelers, the NT$95 million (US$2.95 million) project is to be completed in four stages, it said. In the first stage, the hall leading to the Blue Line near the art exhibition area is to be closed from Nov. 1 to the end
The government has issued a deportation order for a Spanish fugitive, ordering him to leave the country within 10 days, as he is wanted by European authorities for allegedly operating a car rental scam. National Immigration Agency (NIA) officials yesterday said Salvador Alejandro Llinas Onate, 48, had been notified that he must leave Taiwan, as he was wanted for committing serious crimes. The Spaniard has been indicted by Italian prosecutors for allegedly leading a 30 million euros (US$32.74 million) car rental scam and setting up a fraudulent company in Trento, Italy. The deportation order is based on Article 18 of
Taipei’s Ximending (西門町) shopping area welcomed the most international visitors, followed by Taipei 101, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park and Yangmingshan National Park (陽明山國家公園), a list of the city’s most popular tourist attractions published by the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism showed. As of August, 69.22 million people had visited Taipei’s main tourism spots, a 76 percent increase from 39.33 million in the same period last year, department data showed. Ximending had 20.21 million visitors, followed by Taipei 101 at 8.09 million, Songshan Cultural and Creative Park at 6.28 million, Yangmingshan at 4.51 million and the Red House Theater (西門紅樓) in