Society

Late detection claims more cancer lives

By Yu Ran (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-04-18 08:28

SHANGHAI - There are more than 210,000 cancer patients in Shanghai, some 1.6 percent of the city's permanent residents, according to figures released at the start of Cancer Prevention and Control Education Week on Friday.

The numbers provided by the Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention show that more than one person in every 100 Shanghai residents has cancer and more than three in 1,000 are diagnosed each year. At least 30,000 people die because of cancer in the city every year.

Members of the art troupe from the Shanghai Cancer Rehabilitation Club dance during a charity show when they visited the USA Pavilion at the World Expo held in Shanghai last year. [Photo/Xinhua]

"The fact that Shanghai has a relatively large aging population means that there is a higher incidence of cancer. Most cancer patients are elderly," said Zheng Ying, chief of oncology at Shanghai Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The number of people counted as having cancer also includes the growing number of people who have survived cancer for several years."

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Zheng added that the majority of cancer patients in the city are older than 60. About 35 percent of people with cancer in Shanghai have lived with the disease for more than five years.

Breast cancer is the most comment type among women, accounting for 17 percent of new female cancer cases. Women are also hit hard by lung, stomach, colon and liver cancer.

The most common types of cancer among men affect the lung, stomach, liver, colon and rectum.

"In general, the incidence rate of cancer among men is higher than it is among women and the chance of a man surviving cancer is lower than the chance of a woman surviving," said Zheng.

Lung cancer is overall the most common cancer and affects 70 percent of male patients.

During the past 30 years, the mortality rate among people with lung cancer has increased by 465 percent on the Chinese mainland, said Zhi Xiuyi, director of the Lung Cancer Treatment Center at Capital Medical University. Zhi was speaking during an awareness-raising event held by Sohu, a popular Chinese web portal, last week.

"A lack of efficient early detection is the main reason for the rise in the mortality rate," he said.

"Many people have already developed end-stage lung cancer by the time they have been diagnosed as having it and have missed their best opportunity for treatment."

In addition, improper prescribing of medication and unnecessary surgical procedures have added to patients' suffering and have led to more early deaths, he said.

Shan Juan contributed to the story.