TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan has expanded lung cancer screening services, lowering the eligible age for individuals with a family history of lung cancer and easing criteria for heavy smokers, the health ministry said Friday.
The new low-dose computed tomography screening criteria were adopted to reduce the country's standardized cancer mortality rate by one-third by 2030. The eligible age for individuals with a family history of lung cancer has been reduced by five years.
Referencing US Preventive Services Task Force recommendations, the smoking history threshold for heavy smokers has also been lowered from 30 pack-years to 20 pack-years, calculated as the average number of packs smoked daily multiplied by the number of years smoked. For example, smoking one pack per day for 20 years, or half a pack daily for 40 years, equals 20 pack-years.
The expanded program includes men aged 45 to 74 and women aged 40 to 74 with a family history of lung cancer involving immediate blood relatives. Heavy smokers aged 50 to 74 with a smoking history of 20 pack-years or more, who smoked or quit less than 15 years ago, are also eligible.
LDCT lung scans do not require contrast dye injection, resulting in a lower radiation dose for those being screened. This helps achieve the goal of detecting early-stage lung cancer with minimal radiation exposure, according to Taichung Hospital.
A large-scale 2010 US National Institutes of Health clinical trial found that LDCT could cut lung cancer mortality by 20% compared to chest X-rays. European studies show that high-risk individuals undergoing LDCT annually for 10 years could reduce their mortality risk by up to 39%.
The Health Promotion Administration said screening cannot prevent lung cancer but early detection improves survival rates. Quitting smoking remains the most effective way to reduce risk.
From a treatment standpoint, most lung cancers are diagnosed at an advanced stage because early-stage symptoms are often absent. However, early detection through LDCT screening allows for surgery, which can often treat or cure the cancer.
As less lung tissue is removed during early-stage surgery, the impact on the patient's lung function and quality of life is minimal.