China's anti-cancer endeavor targets lifecycle services for all

BEIJING -- Xiong Zeng, a radiologist in Changsha, the capital of central China's Hunan Province, offers consultations for patients with lung nodules via an online telemedicine platform every week.

Facilitated by the telemedicine system, Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, where Xiong works, has provided diagnosis and other medical services for about 80,000 patients with lung nodules since 2016, giving people in remote areas access to timely and quality medical screening to detect lung cancer at an early stage.

With stronger awareness of cancer prevention and screening and improved diagnostic techniques, more people have found themselves with lung nodules and taken early screening for lung cancer, according to Xiong, deputy director of the hospital's radiology department.

"Although the incidence and mortality of lung cancer are high, if it is detected, diagnosed, and treated early, the illness is not only expected to be cured but also costs much less compared with that in its intermediate or advanced stage," she said.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in China. About 4.06 million new cancer cases were reported annually in China. The five most common cancers diagnosed are lung, colorectal, stomach, liver, and breast cancers, accounting for over 57 percent of all new cases.

The incidence of cancer in China is at the world average level, while its mortality rate is slightly higher than the world average. The incidence and mortality rate of cancer is still on the rise, said Zhang Yong, Party chief of the National Cancer Center. "The task of cancer prevention and control remains arduous and requires the joint efforts of all."

China has been moving to deliver lifecycle cancer prevention and treatment services for all in recent years. The message was also echoed in the theme of this year's national anti-cancer week that runs until Friday.

With the promotion of tumor registration, cancer screening, and early diagnosis and treatment across the country, the five-year survival rate among cancer patients in China has increased to 40.5 percent from 30 percent a decade ago.

China has established the largest cancer registration system in the world, covering about 1.4 billion people, or 99.8 percent of the country's population.

Cancer diagnosis and treatment have become more standardized. A national cancer prevention and control network that incorporates cancer centers, professional cancer prevention and control institutions, and grassroots medical institutions in urban and rural areas has taken shape.

China has a cancer spectrum with the coexistence of features of that of both developing and developed countries. The spectrum in urban areas is significantly different from that of rural areas, according to the latest cancer registration data.

The more developed areas, including Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang, have seen a high incidence of the so-called "cancer of affluence," such as colorectal cancer and prostate cancer, in recent years, said Liu Zhe, an oncologist with the Beijing Chest Hospital of Capital Medical University.

Liu attributed the increase in cases of these cancers, which are more common in European countries and the United States, to the growth of living standards and changes in diet in these regions.

The National Cancer Center has introduced a series of guidelines and standards for screening, early diagnosis, and treatment techniques for some cancers with high incidence, and continued to expand the coverage of cancer screening, early diagnosis, and early treatment.

Authorities in Liuyang City, Hunan Province, for example, have been promoting the early screening of lung, breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers by enhancing the cooperation between grassroots general practitioners and the oncology departments of municipal hospitals to provide targeted referral and follow-up services for patients.

Meanwhile, more anti-cancer drugs and therapeutic techniques have been approved for clinical use in China and gradually covered by medical insurance schemes, bringing hope for the patients to fight the "chronic diseases" and easing their financial burdens.

The average annual growth rate of clinical trials of cancer drugs in China has exceeded 34 percent in recent years, which is not only large in quantity but also becoming increasingly standardized in practice, according to data from a monitoring platform for anti-cancer drugs in clinical application.

The combination of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and western medicine has also opened up the horizon of preventing and treating cancer.

In the oncology department of Chengdu First People's Hospital in southwest China, special TCM treatments such as external application and soaking are assisting the treatment of some cancer patients.

Duan Ping, the department's director, said the TCM has played a role in increasing curative effects and reducing side effects.

According to the Healthy China Initiative (2019-2030), the government aims to raise the overall five-year survival rate among cancer patients to no less than 46.6 percent and the early diagnosis rate of key cancer types in high-incidence areas to 55 percent or above by 2030.

To achieve this aim, it is necessary to form a multi-dimensional cancer prevention and treatment system and continuously optimize it to cover the whole population - be it cancer patients or non-cancer residents, provide lifecycle services to individuals, and enable participation by all sectors of society, said He Jie, director of the National Cancer Center.