Dr. Adams and members of the UICC in Taiwan jointly launched a global collaboration to build a new vision for the future of cancer prevention .
UICC announces six
global strategies for 2025–2028
Dr.
Adams noted that UICC has long been committed to bringing together
the global cancer prevention community, promoting experience sharing and
transnational collaboration to reduce the burden of cancer, narrow disparities
in treatment and care, and ensure that cancer remains a priority on the global
health and development agenda. Headquartered in Geneva, UICC
currently has a team of approximately 50 people who collaborate with
members worldwide to continuously advance global cancer prevention efforts.
He
said UICC reviews key action areas every three to four years. The six
major strategies announced this year include:
- Strengthening Member Centricity
- Improving access to medicines, radiation therapy, and diagnostic technologies
- Establish and improve the cancer prevention and control system, promote the national cancer prevention and control plan and universal health insurance
- Advocate a patient-centered care model
- Raise awareness of women's cancers, especially cervical and breast cancer
- Strengthen lung cancer prevention and treatment, including early screening, treatment, and risk factor control
Dr.
Adams further explained that the global incidence of cancer is
projected to increase to 35 million cases by 2050 , with
the majority of this increase occurring in countries with limited access to
basic medical resources. This presents a significant challenge to global cancer
prevention. He emphasized that comprehensive national cancer prevention and
control programs and early detection are key to reducing mortality and
controlling costs, and these programs must be accompanied by clear budgets and
long-term government commitment.
Taiwan's
cancer prevention achievements recognized internationally
Dr.
Adams highly praised Taiwan's performance . He noted that Taiwan
boasts a comprehensive national health insurance system, a robust cancer
registration system, and high coverage of screening services, and that its
cancer mortality rate has stabilized or even declined. In particular, the
government's goal of reducing the standardized cancer mortality rate by
one-third by 2030 holds significant implications for the
international community. He also called on Taiwan to continue expanding
screening, strengthening early diagnosis, and sharing its experience with
other countries through the UICC platform.
Liu
Yujuan, Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, stated that
President Lai Ching-te has placed great importance on cancer prevention and
control. Upon taking office, he led the government in setting a long-term goal
of reducing cancer mortality by one-third by 2030. She noted that
achieving this important goal cannot be accomplished by the government alone;
it requires collaboration with private sector partners and the international
community.
Liu
Yujuan also shared that Taiwan's National Health and Family Planning Commission
has long promoted cancer prevention and control, resulting in a five-year
survival rate increase from 49% in 2009 to 63% in
2022 , demonstrating the remarkable effectiveness of early screening
and prevention. With this improved survival rate, continued care and service
quality require even greater attention. With a global perspective, continued
investment is needed to help cancer patients return to healthy lives. She
emphasized, " Together we heal, together we hope ," and stated
that Taiwan will continue to provide assistance in global cancer prevention and
control efforts and collaborate internationally to achieve these goals.
Industry,
government, and academia jointly promote cancer prevention and treatment
Guowei
Zhuang, Chairman of the Cancer Hope Foundation, stated that inviting Dr.
Adams to Taiwan not only allowed him to better understand the efforts and
progress made by the Taiwanese government and the public in cancer prevention
and control, but also hoped that by sharing the
latest 2025–2028 cancer prevention and control vision with UICC, he
could inspire Taiwan's future strategies and open up more international
collaborations. He noted that Taiwanese private groups have long invested in
patient support, health education, and cross-sector collaboration to fill gaps
in medical resources and practice a people-centered care approach. He expressed
hope for further collaboration with UICC on Asia-Pacific policy,
patient empowerment, and education.
Legislator
Wang Zhengxu emphasized that under President Lai Ching-te's "Healthy
Taiwan" vision, cancer prevention and care has become a national policy
priority; Congress will continue to monitor and urge the executive branch to
actively implement relevant policies to ensure that all patients have access to
fair and sustainable care resources.
UICC continues
to promote global cooperation
Dr. Adams concluded by stating that UICC will continue to promote global equitable care and transnational collaboration through international platforms such as World Cancer Day, the World Cancer Leaders Summit, and the World Cancer Congress. He expressed his hope that Taiwan will actively participate in international exchanges and work with global partners to reduce cancer mortality, increase survival rates, and jointly create a more resilient and equitable future for cancer care.