Cancer Remained Leading Cause of Death in 2017|36年十大死因榜首 癌症去年奪4.8萬命

The Ministry of Health and Welfare has announced the top 10 leading causes of death in 2017. Cancer topped the list for the 36th straight year, and the number of people killed by cancer reached 48,000 for the first time. Meanwhile, the number of male deaths exceeded the number of female deaths by 100,000, which is 140% more, compared to female deaths.


The Ministry of Health and Welfare recently published the list of the top 10 leading causes of death in 2017. Cancer topped the list for the 36th consecutive year. It was followed by heart disease, pneumonia, cerebrovascular disease and diabetes. Meanwhile, the deadliest types of cancer were lung cancer, liver cancer and colorectal cancer. In 2017, cancer caused the deaths of a record 48,037 people, or 28 percent of all deaths. In other news, the infant mortality rate increased.

With regards to the top 10 leading causes of death, the ranking and positions were exactly the same as 2016. With regards to the infant mortality rate, although the number of infant deaths decreased, the number of newborns also decreased by 6 percent, so the overall infant mortality rate increased a bit.

Breast cancer remained the deadliest type of cancer for women, a position it has held for 15 years. Meanwhile, cervical cancer knocked ovarian cancer off of the list of the top 10 deadliest cancers for women in its return to the list. The Health Promotion Administration reminds the public that although the number of cervical cancer cases is decreasing, women should still undergo regular cervical cancer screenings.

Ovarian cancer only entered the top 10 last year, and this is of course related to our promotion of cervical cancer screening. This is because the number of cervical cancer cases has been decreasing over the past 30 years.

The Ministry of Health and Welfare adds lung cancer had the highest median death rate out of the 10 top causes of death, showing the proportion of senior citizens dying from lung cancer is high. This is related to Taiwan's aging population. However, the only action that can be taken now is making sure the lung cancer mortality rate can be controlled, as there is no way to quickly reduce it. Health officials will therefore continue to promote pneumonia and flu vaccines to senior citizens as a preventative measure.