Lower colon cancer screening age to cut diagnoses by 1,800 in 10 years

Taipei, Oct. 17 (CNA) Taiwan's decision to lower the age for free colorectal cancer screening from 50 to 45 starting in 2025 will result in 1,800 fewer cancer diagnoses over a 10-year period, according to the results of a study presented on Thursday.

The study, which examined Taiwan's colon cancer screening, including the removal of polyps and other precancerous growths, and incidence trends since 2000, was presented at a press conference by its co-author Lee Wen-chung (李文宗), a professor at National Taiwan University's Institute of Health Data Analytics and Statistics.

Colorectal cancer was the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Taiwan from 2006 to 2021. In 2021, 16,238 people were diagnosed with colon cancer, equivalent to 44 people per day, government statistics show.

According to Lee, Taiwan began offering free colorectal cancer screenings to people aged 50 to 69 in 2004, and significantly expanded the number of facilities offering the screenings in 2010.

As a result, he said, the colon cancer incidence rate (diagnoses per 100,000 people) surged by 19.2 percent for men and 15.6 percent for women in 2010.

However, it was then followed by annual declines of 3.4 percent for men and 3.1 percent for women, Lee said.

As of 2019, the screening policy had reduced colon cancer incidence by 12.4 percent for men and 11.6 percent for women, compared to levels projected in a no-screening scenario, Lee said.

The study also tried to project the impact of the government's decision, announced in July, to lower the free screening age to 45, or to 40 for people with a family history of colon cancer.

It found that the policy would result in 1,023 fewer colon cancer diagnoses for men and 783 fewer diagnoses for women through 2035, or 1,806 in total, Lee said.

The team's research was published in August in the International Journal of Epidemiology.