Prostate Cancer Late-Stage Diagnosis Nears 30% in Taiwan; Medical Experts Advocate for Precision Screening

In Taiwan, nearly 10,000 new prostate cancer patients are diagnosed annually, with nearly 30% already at stage 4 with distant metastasis. The late-stage diagnosis rate in Taiwan is 3.5 times higher than in the United States. The Taiwan Urological Association is advocating for precision screening for men over 50 to detect lesions early. Association President Cha Dai-long stated that new cases have surged 3.75 times over the past 20 years. According to 2023 cancer registry data, there were 9,985 new cases, 28.06% of which had already metastasized at diagnosis, missing the golden period for early treatment. While early-stage patients can achieve a 5-year survival rate of 90-100% through radical surgery, late-stage survival can drop to 20%. The association calls for regular PSA screening to be included in public health programs. For advanced patients, experts emphasize precision treatments using biomarkers like PSMA.