Maroc - TAIWANTODAY.TW - Top News - 01/Feb 00:00

Taiwan gears up cancer prevention efforts

To implement further cancer prevention in Taiwan, the government is investing in developing better treatment and offering more support to patients and their families, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said Feb. 4.   The MOHW made the remarks in a statement marking World Cancer Day, an initiative led by Geneva-based Union for International Cancer Control to raise awareness of the disease and encourage its prevention, detection and treatment. The campaign theme for 2025-2027 is “United by Unique,” which focuses on unity and support for a shift of health systems towards people-centered care.   According to the ministry, the Health Promotion Administration has been working with Taipei City-based Hope Foundation for Cancer Care to subsidize the establishment of cancer resource centers in Taiwan since 2000. To date, 105 hospitals around the country have set up such facilities, which serve as key network hubs for patients searching for treatment and related information for their specific needs.   Citing statistics released Dec. 19, 2024, by the HPA, the MOHW said 130,293 people were diagnosed with cancer in 2022, an increase of 8,531 new cases from the year before. The five-year survival rate was 62.9 percent between 2018 and 2022, up from 51.1 percent between 2016 and 2000, it added.   The HPA statistics also show lung, colon and breast cancer as the three leading diseases in that order for both men and women combined, with a standardized incidence rate of 323.3 people per 100,000 population.   The ministry said this shows that patients coexist with cancer for a longer period of time and reflects an increased need to offer them more comprehensive care. While the primary goal of treatment has been on treatment, the MOHW said it is equally important to address the psychological and social needs of the patients themselves and their families.   Cancer resource centers play a key role in this regard, the MOHW said, adding that it will continue to implement more projects to offer better people-centered care and services. (SFC-E)   Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw