China has released its “cancer map,” which shows regional differences in the prevalence of malignant tumors across the country. According to a report on the epidemic situation of malignant tumors in China in 2016, lung cancer remains the most common cancer in China, with over 828,100 new cases reported in 2016, resulting in 657,000 deaths. The high incidence of lung cancer in China could be related to the high smoking rate, according to a study published in The Lancet Global Health. Other modifiable risk factors include secondhand smoke, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, overweight or obesity, diabetes, UV exposure, and PM2.5. The report also highlights some regional differences, such as the high incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan. The study’s authors also noted a trend of declining “poor cancers” and rising “rich cancers” in China.
Is your hometown on the list?China’s provincial “cancer map” released: lung cancer ranks first, “poor cancer” declines, “rich cancer” rises
Recently, the National Cancer Center and the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences published the data on the prevalence of malignant tumors in China in 2016 in the “Chinese Journal of Oncology”, which to a certain extent represents the latest data analysis on cancer incidence and death in China.
The report, titled “Analysis of the Epidemic Situation of Malignant Tumors in China in 2016”, was collected as of August 31, 2019, and included data from 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) in China, covering 380 million people.
From the statistical point of view, there are some differences in the main epidemic and high mortality cancers in different provinces. Take lung cancer, the most common cancer in China, as an example. In Tibet, Gansu and Qinghai, lung cancer does not rank first. Although nasopharyngeal carcinoma ranks 20th in the incidence rate of cancer in China, nasopharyngeal carcinoma is a susceptible cancer in Guangdong, Guangxi and Hainan, and its incidence rate ranks fifth.
From the perspective of the number of cases, lung cancer still ranks first in the incidence of malignant tumors in China. In 2016, there were about 828,100 new cases of lung cancer in China, and 657,000 people died of lung cancer.
The annual incidence of lung cancer is about 830,000, which may be related to the high smoking rate in China. According to a study published in The Lancet Global Health, 45.2% of cancer deaths among Chinese adults aged 20 or older were related to modifiable risk factors, such as smoking. 24% and 4.8% of lung cancer deaths in Chinese men and women are attributable to smoking.
Other modifiable risk factors include secondhand smoke, alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, overweight or obesity, diabetes, UV exposure, and PM2.5. It is worth noting that lung cancer also has a younger trend.
People in Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Guangdong are less likely to suffer from esophageal cancer. Although the incidence rate of this cancer ranks sixth in China, it ranks around 15th in the above regions. And in Shanghai and Tianjin, the death rate of esophageal cancer has dropped to the 10th.
However, the incidence of kidney cancer in Beijing and Shanghai is significantly higher than the average level in China, both of which are among the top ten cancers in the region, and the incidence of this type of cancer ranks 15th in China as a whole.
The typical feature of the high-incidence cancer map in Guangdong Province is nasopharyngeal carcinoma, which ranks sixth, but the overall cancer incidence rate in China ranks 20th. Similar to this situation are Guangxi and Hainan.
Pan Zhan, deputy chief physician of the Oncology Department of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, pointed out in an analysis article that the current characteristics of cancer in China are the decline of “poor cancers” and the rise of “rich cancers”.
In March, the “Healthy China Action 2023 Work Key Points” released by the Office of the Healthy China Action Promotion Committee involved “cancer prevention and control actions”. Results, etc. Select the appropriate physical examination interval.
The current medical technology can detect most of the common cancers early. For example, gastrointestinal cancer can be found by gastroenteroscopy, lung cancer can be found by low-dose spiral CT of the chest, and breast cancer can be found by ultrasound combined with mammography.
The “Chinese Journal of Oncology” report on the prevalence of malignant tumors in China in 2016 provides a sobering reminder of the impact of cancer on the Chinese population. Lung cancer remains the most common cancer in China, with over 800,000 new cases reported in 2016, and the report highlights the link between smoking and cancer. However, the report also highlights some regional differences, such as the prevalence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan, and the higher incidence of kidney cancer in Beijing and Shanghai. The decline of “poor cancers” and the rise of “rich cancers” is also a notable trend. As cancer prevention and control actions become more important in China, the report underlines the importance of early detection and modern medical technology to fight cancer.