Taiwan is intensifying its public health initiatives to tackle hepatitis B and enhance early liver cancer detection, following its ahead-of-schedule success in meeting the World Health Organization’s hepatitis C elimination targets. The nation’s strategy, as outlined by Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang, will now pivot towards curbing hepatitis B infections, bolstering liver cancer screening, and addressing non-viral liver diseases, such as obesity-related fatty liver disease.
Liver cancer continues to be a significant health challenge in Taiwan, ranking as the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths, with over 7,000 fatalities each year. Alarmingly, health officials estimate that about 40 percent of these cases are diagnosed in advanced stages, which diminishes treatment effectiveness and escalates healthcare costs. In response, health authorities are crafting a new national cancer control program that incorporates a liver cancer risk assessment model specifically tailored to Taiwan’s population. This initiative also aims to address the growing concern of non-viral liver cancer.
In collaboration with medical and technology experts, the Good Liver Foundation is advancing these efforts by developing “iGood Liver AI,” an artificial intelligence-powered ultrasound tool. This cutting-edge software is designed to identify and analyze liver tumors in real time, highlighting suspicious areas and distinguishing between benign and malignant growths during routine examinations. Medical experts emphasize that this technology is meant to assist doctors, serving as a supplemental diagnostic tool to enhance detection rates and minimize the risk of missed diagnoses.
To ensure wider healthcare access, the Good Liver Foundation has secured funding to distribute 50 sets of the AI system to medical facilities in remote and underserved areas. This move aims to broaden liver disease screening and early intervention services throughout Taiwan, addressing the healthcare disparities that exist in less accessible regions.