Confluence News reporter Chen Junkai/Taipei report
Lung cancer has been the number one killer of the top ten cancers in China for 42 consecutive years. In July this year, it was officially included in the fifth cancer in government-subsidized cancer screening. The National Health Administration announced the latest statistics today (28), and the new screening system is on the way. 81 Days later, 21 confirmed cases of lung cancer have been successfully identified, of which 95% are early (stage 0 and 1) cases, indicating that LDCT lung cancer screening is indeed helpful for early diagnosis of lung cancer; Risk factors also found that 85% of all have a family history of lung cancer.
How big is the threat of lung cancer to Taiwanese? The numbers speak for themselves. Lung cancer is not only the cancer with the highest mortality rate in the world. In Taiwan, even though the standardized mortality rate of lung cancer in my country has dropped by 14.6% from 2011 to 2021, it still ranks first in the cause of cancer deaths in Taiwan, accounting for all cancer deaths in 2021. one-fifth of the population.
Since July 1 this year, the National Health Administration has subsidized a free low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening test every two years for high-risk groups of lung cancer. High-risk groups include: 1. Family history of lung cancer: 50 to 74-year-old men or 45 to 74-year-old women whose parents, children or siblings have been diagnosed with lung cancer; 2. Heavy smoking history: 50 to 74 years old and smokers Star 30 pack-years or more, heavy smokers who are willing to quit smoking or who have quit smoking for less than 15 years.
Lin Liru, head of the cancer prevention team of the National Health Administration, pointed out that from July 1 to September 19, 7,557 people across the country have been screened, including 4,200 males (55.6%) and 3,357 females (44.4%); 4470 (59.2%) had a family history of lung cancer, another 2753 (36.4%) were heavy smokers, and 334 (4.4%) were heavy smokers who also had a family history of lung cancer.
The good news is that Lin Liru said that 81 days after the screening subsidy was launched, 21 confirmed lung cancer cases have been identified, of which early (stage 0 and 1) cases accounted for 95.2% (20 people), and only 1 was stage 3 lung cancer. , showing that LDCT lung cancer screening is indeed helpful for early diagnosis of lung cancer, allowing people to receive treatment as soon as possible, and greatly reducing the risk of lung cancer death.
The National Health Administration further differentiated by risk factors and found that among the 21 diagnosed cases of lung cancer, 18 (85.7%) had a family history of lung cancer, 2 (9.5%) were heavy smokers, and 1 (4.8%) was a concurrent Heavy smokers with a family history of lung cancer.
Wu Zhaojun, director of the National Health Administration, said that the main reason for the low survival rate of lung cancer patients is that there are no obvious symptoms of early-stage lung cancer. 1 out of 10 diagnosed cases of lung cancer is already at stage 4. It must be noted that the 5-year survival rate of early stage (0 and 1) lung cancer is more than 90%, but the 4th stage drops sharply to 10%. sex.
The National Health Administration emphasized that LDCT is currently the only screening tool with international evidence that can detect lung cancer early. Therefore, eligible high-risk groups are encouraged to undergo regular screening for early detection and early treatment. At present, the National Health Administration is working together with 123 hospitals across the country to promote the early detection plan of lung cancer. Qualified people can make appointments and examinations at the contract hospitals of the National Health Administration for lung cancer screening. Check the website:https://www.hpa.gov.tw/Pages/Detail.aspx?nodeid=4619&pid=15785。
Photo Credit: Schematic Photo / Retrieved from Pexels
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