《TAIPEI TIMES》 Cancer remains top cause as deaths hit record high

/ Staff writer, with CNA

The number of deaths from cancer last year hit a new high as the disease remained the top cause of death in Taiwan for the 36th consecutive year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.

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Annual deaths from cancer exceeded 48,000 for the first time, with a total of 48,037, an increase of 277 from 2016 and a record 28 percent of the 171,857 deaths recorded last year, ministry data showed.

The total number of deaths — 101,686 men and 70,171 women — was an annual decrease of 561, or 0.3 percent, the data showed.

That figure translates into 471 deaths per day, or one death every 3 minutes, 3 seconds — the same as in 2016, the ministry said.

The 10 leading causes of death in the nation last year were malignant tumors; heart-related illnesses; pneumonia; cerebrovascular disease; diabetes mellitus; accidents; chronic lower respiratory disease; hypertensive illness; nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis; and chronic liver disease and cirrhosis — the same as in 2016, it said.

Deaths from the top 10 causes made up 76.8 percent of last year’s total deaths, the data showed.

In terms of age at death, 123,543 people, or 71.9 percent of the total, were aged 65 or older, an increase of 1,287 from 2016, the statistics showed.

Last year, lung, liver and colon cancer were the deadliest, followed by breast, oral, prostate, stomach, pancreatic, esophageal and cervical cancer, the ministry said.

The top nine deadliest cancers were the same as in 2016, with cervical cancer replacing ovarian cancer in 10th place, it said.

Deaths from breast and prostate cancer increased last year, while deaths from pancreatic and esophageal cancer remained stable and deaths from other types of cancer decreased, it added.

There are no effective tools to detect lung cancer in its early stages, said Health Promotion Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Jun-chiu （陳潤秋）, who attributed the increase in deaths from prostate and breast cancer to aging and environmental factors respectively.

About 84 percent of people who died from cancer last year were older than 55, the ministry said.

Deaths from cancer increased the most among people aged 85 or older, rising by 493 deaths, followed by people aged 65 to 74, up 253 deaths, the ministry said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES