Editor’s Note:
AHMC Healthcare invited leading physicians from three major Taiwan medical centers to share the latest insights on heart and lung care, muscle health, chronic disease prevention, and precision medicine. Cultural Express launches a five-part series.
“Medicine’s next frontier is not one-size-fits-all care, but using each patient’s genes, imaging, pathology, clinical profile, and treatment response to chart the best path forward.”
At a health seminar, Sung Hui Tseng, dean of academic affairs at Taipei Medical University and a rehabilitation physician at TMUH, said precision medicine is shifting from one-size-fits-all care to AI-assisted, personalized treatment.
Target Tumors Spare Tissue
Sung Hui Tseng said the TMUH Proton Center has treated 785 patients since opening in 2022 through May 2026, including those with head and neck, breast, prostate, lung and liver cancers, as well as pediatric tumors.
Unlike conventional radiation, proton therapy delivers energy directly to the tumor while limiting exposure to healthy tissue and nearby organs.
This is especially important for children, helping protect developing organs and reduce long-term risks such as nerve damage, hormonal problems, growth delays, and secondary cancers.
Dr.Tseng shared the case of a two-year-old with a brain tumor who achieved complete remission after proton therapy, chemotherapy and a clinical trial, with healthy growth and development afterward. Precision treatment aims not only to extend life, but also to preserve long-term quality of life.
Decode Genes Guide Care
Precision medicine is reshaping how childhood developmental delays and rare diseases are diagnosed. Many children once endured years of testing without a clear answer.
Today, whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing greatly improve detection. Among 95 children treated at TMUH, genetic causes were found in 51.6% overall, 61.8% with low muscle tone, and 78.8% with abnormal brain MRI findings.
Earlier diagnosis can reduce repeated testing, guide treatment and rehabilitation, support genetic counseling, and help families plan long-term care sooner.
Smart Rehab Stronger Steps
“Finding the gene is not the finish line,” Tseng said. Pediatric rehabilitation must also assess function, anticipate development, prevent complications, and include family support and daily participation in long-term care.
TMUH uses robotic gait training and other smart tools to track strength, joint movement, gait, and gross motor function, then tailor therapy to each child’s progress.
One boy with chronic hypoxic-ischemic brain injury improved from a single-digit gross motor score to above 90, progressing from wheelchair dependence to standing and walking.
Tseng also presented follow-up cases combining cell therapy with rehabilitation, but stressed that improvement usually reflects multiple interventions and requires long-term evaluation.
Global Reach Seamless Care
Precision care must guide patients through the full treatment journey. TMUH’s Dream Way International Healthcare Center offers one-stop support, beginning with medical record review, teleconsultation, or a second opinion.
A dedicated team then coordinates visa documents, consultations, hospitalization, testing, surgery, proton therapy, and rehabilitation, with telehealth follow-up after patients return home.
Family care combines genetic counseling, screenings, medication review, and nutrition support to promote prevention and lifelong health.
“Precision medicine connects science and compassion to deliver the right care to the right patient at the right time,” Tseng said. (Health Column: Part 4 of 5)
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