On the morning of December 11, Deputy Mayor Wang Ming-Jiuh of Taoyuan City visited the School of Continuing Education of the Chinese Culture University. He represented the city government in signing a memorandum of cooperation on the “Human Biobank” with the Academia Sinica and the Taiwan Society for Biopreservation and Biobanking. Deputy Mayor Wang stated that since March 2023, Taoyuan has been at the forefront nationwide in collaboration with the Health Promotion Administration of the Ministry of Health and Welfare in implementing the “Expanded Lung Cancer Screening Program.” The content outlined in this memorandum will allow hospitals conducting screenings to inform the participants, obtain their consent, and subsequently include relevant imaging data and examination results in the database. This data will be utilized for academic research while protecting individuals’ privacy. The aim is to enhance the contribution of imaging medicine to predicting, preventing, and treating lung cancer.
Deputy Mayor Wang elaborated that Taoyuan’s “Expanded Lung Cancer Screening Program” is tailored for residents aged 40 and above who belong to high-risk groups due to factors such as smoking, exposure to cooking oil fumes, air pollution, occupational hazards, relevant medical history, or family medical history. The program offers low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scans. Over 21,000 people have applied, with 17,000 completing the screening. Among those screened, 63 individuals were diagnosed with lung cancer, with 82% (52 cases) detected at stages 1 and 2, demonstrating the significance of LDCT as a vital screening tool for early-stage lung cancer. This early detection facilitates prompt intervention and treatment, ultimately reducing mortality rates.
Deputy Mayor Wang also mentioned the city’s subsidy for 17 hospitals to simultaneously adopt AI-assisted reading systems, expediting physicians’ image interpretation. He suggested that central authorities can further plan data integration, information system establishment, and data security maintenance after resolving regulatory and personal privacy issues at the local government level. He hopes for a collaborative model between central and local governments to invest public resources in health prevention, enabling experts and scholars to conduct more comprehensive research.
Sources：Taoyuan City Government
