TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taichung Veterans General Hospital has used targeted therapies and immunotherapy to help stage 4 lung cancer cases stabilize, including a 79-year-old woman whose condition has not worsened in six years.

At a Thursday press conference, the hospital presented its lung cancer treatment achievements, per CNA. The Ministry of Health and Welfare said that trachea and lung cancer were the leading causes of death in Taiwan last year, with around 54,000 fatalities, 906 more than in 2023.

The Formosa Cancer Foundation noted a trend of younger onset, with average age dropping from 72 to 68 for men and 68 to 65 for women. Nearly half of lung cancer cases in Taiwan occur in non-smokers — possibly linked to air pollution and kitchen cooking fumes.

Tseng Cheng-sen (曾政森), director of the hospital’s lung cancer department, said that late-stage cancer cases can survive with proper treatment. He shared the case of a 39-year-old man surnamed Wu (吳), who was diagnosed six years ago with stage 4 lung cancer that had spread to his brain, bones, and lymph nodes. A combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy helped shrink the tumors.

Taiwan records more than 17,000 new lung cancer cases annually, Tseng said. Because early symptoms are often unclear, more than half of cases are in late stages at diagnosis. 

Treatment options also include targeted therapies for gene mutations, radiation therapy, and drugs that block tumors from growing new blood vessels to cut off their supply of nutrients.

A 79-year-old woman surnamed Huang (黃) was diagnosed six years ago with stage 4 lung cancer after seeking care for a persistent cough and throat irritation, said Lee Po-hsin (李柏昕), another doctor at the hospital. Genetic testing revealed a rare cancer-related mutation, while four months of oral medication controlled her condition.

Lee said the woman’s genetic mutation is extremely rare and usually carries lower survival chances than other mutation types. He noted genetic testing was key in controlling her condition, helping doctors use a targeted drug that worked better than chemotherapy and caused fewer side effects.

For late-stage cancer, immunotherapy can also help the immune system fight tumors and often works better than typical treatments, Lee added.