Lung, Pancreatic, and Ovarian Cancer Mortality Rates Rise; Ministry of Health and Welfare Reveals Potential Causes

(CNA, Reporter Shen Pei-yao, Taipei, June 22) Cancer has been the leading cause of death for the Taiwanese population for 44 consecutive years. While mortality rates for most cancers decreased in 2025, those for lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers have risen. In addition to aging factors, the Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW) attributes this to the lack of effective screening tools for pancreatic and ovarian cancers, and the recommendation against screening asymptomatic individuals.

The Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) today released the top 10 causes of death statistics for 2025. Cancer, heart disease, and pneumonia remained the top three. The top 10 causes of cancer death were the same as the previous year, listed in order of mortality rate: trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer; liver and intrahepatic bile duct cancer; colon, rectum, and anus cancer; female breast cancer; prostate cancer; oral cancer; pancreatic cancer; stomach cancer; esophageal cancer; and ovarian cancer.

Notably, Lu Shu-chun, section chief of the DGBAS statistics department, pointed out in her briefing that analysis revealed that besides lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers, the standardized mortality rates for the other seven cancers decreased. In terms of year-on-year increase in mortality rate (per 100,000 population), lung cancer increased by 3.5%, pancreatic cancer by 8.2%, and ovarian cancer by 12.7%.

As Taiwan enters a super-aged society, with one in five elderly individuals aged 65 and above, Lin Li-ju, deputy director-general of the MOHW's Health Promotion Administration, explained that cancer has multiple and complex causes, but is related to advanced age, unhealthy lifestyles, etc. Therefore, the MOHW is currently promoting screening for six types of cancer: colorectal, cervical, breast, oral, lung, and stomach cancer.

Regarding the rise in mortality rates for lung, pancreatic, and ovarian cancers, Lin Li-ju stated that this is related to long-term accumulation and population aging, especially with the increase in the elderly population and exposure to risk factors. In particular, there are still no effective screening tools for pancreatic and ovarian cancers, and similar to the United States, screening for asymptomatic individuals is not recommended. The standardized mortality rate has shown a slight fluctuation trend in recent years, and long-term observation is needed.

Lin Li-ju used pancreatic cancer as an example, explaining that it is related to genetics, family history, age, gender, and even exposure to environmental factors, but there are currently no suitable screening tools. She reminded individuals with diabetes or chronic pancreatitis to pay special attention to their health. If symptoms such as upper abdominal pain or back pain, significant weight loss, or jaundice appear, they should seek medical attention promptly for diagnosis and care by professional medical personnel.

Risk factors for ovarian cancer include age, gene mutations, family history, estrogen replacement therapy, early menarche or late menopause, never having been pregnant, fertility treatments, and obesity. Lin Li-ju stated that if the public experiences symptoms such as abdominal masses, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, bloating, abdominal pain, or constipation, they should first consult a gynecologic oncologist.

The MOHW statistics show that in 2025, there were 54,838 cancer deaths, including 32,537 males and 22,301 females. This accounted for 27.5% of the total deaths, an increase of 1.5% (or 806 people) from the previous year. The cancer mortality rate was 234.9 per 100,000 population, an increase of 1.8% from the previous year. The average annual growth rate over the past 10 years has been 1.5%. (Editor: Chang Ya-ching) 20250622

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