Health Minister Chiu Tai-yuan (邱泰源) announced at a press conference on Tuesday that eligibility for cancer screening will be expanded starting New Year’s Day in 2025, part of an effort to reduce the cancer mortality rate by one-third by 2030 per President Lai Ching-te’s (賴清德) vision for a “Healthy Taiwan.”
Cancer has been the number one cause of death in Taiwan for more than 40 years. Early detection can greatly improve cancer prognosis and is an important part of reducing the impact of the disease on public health. According to statistics from the Health Promotion Administration (HPA), more than 4.8 million people obtained free cancer screening in 2023, discovering a total of 11,000 cancers and 52,000 precancerous lesions and ultimately saving 63,000 lives.
Chiu explained that cervical cancer screenings, which are normally available annually to women aged 30 and older, will now be covered once every three years for women aged 25 to 29. Mammograms to screen for breast cancer will be expanded from women aged 45 to 69 to women aged 40 to 74. Annual human papillomavirus (HPV) testing will also be added for women aged 35, 45, and 65.
Low-dose CT screening for lung cancer, originally available to men aged 50 to 74 and women aged 45 to 74, will be lowered by five years for both groups. Colorectal cancer stool tests will be expanded from those aged 50 to 74 to those aged 45 to 74. Those with a family history of colorectal cancer are eligible for screening as early as age 40. HPA Director-General Wu Chao-chun (吳昭軍) says that the HPA also plans to conduct trials for painless colonoscopy screening in high-risk groups for young-onset colorectal cancer.