Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Taiwan has committed itself to cancer prevention. This study investigates the impact of cancer prevention on cancer incidence in Taiwan. OBJECTIVE: This study describes the secular trends and present status of cancer incidence in Taiwan during the years of 1988 to 2016. METHODS: Age-standardized incidence rates (ASRs), age-specific incidence, and sex ratios for all cancers were calculated using data from the Taiwan Cancer Registry System for the years 1988 to 2016. Results and Conclusions. ASRs of cancer for males increased from 150.93 per 10(5) individuals in 1988 to 330.03 per 10(5) individuals in 2016, and, for females, they increased from 124.18 per 10(5) individuals in 1988 to 269.5 per 10(5) individuals in 2016. We found that cancer incidence has begun at younger ages and that the rates of cancer incidence are increasing faster. This study shows that the incidence of cancer in males has decreased slightly in recent years, while the incidence of cancer in females has continued to increase. The continuous promotion of health literacy, lifestyle modification, HBV and HPV vaccination, and cancer early screening can improve the effectiveness of cancer prevention.