Cancer Kills 7,500 People Daily In China

In spite of decreasing mortality rates, cancer kills 7,500 people daily in China which means that the nation’s population is still at high risk of the disease.

• 2.8 million people died due to cancer in 2015
• 4.3 million people were diagnosed with cancer last year
• China accounts for 27% of all cancer-related deaths worldwide
• Lung, esophageal, liver, and stomach cancer are the most common (57%)

Researchers from the National Cancer Center Beijing, the American Cancer Society, and the University of Sydney concluded that there were 2.8 million deaths in 2015 caused by cancer. That amounts to a whopping 7,500 deaths per day, which underlines the unfortunate state of China’s health. In addition, last year there were 4.3 million new cases of cancer diagnosed. So, the death count is unlikely to slow in the following years.

The data was gathered from 72 cancer registries around China, estimating the death rates of cancer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, lung cancer was by far the most common one. The smog is still a major problem around the Asian cities, and the population is suffering gravely in terms of health. Air pollution remains a grave danger not yet fixed. Around 25% of cases were also related to smoking, which is notoriously known for increasing the risk of lung cancer.

According to lead author of the study, Dr. Wanqing Chen, cancer has become the leading cause of death in China since 2010. Worldwide, the Asian nation represents 27% of cancer related deaths and 22% of new cancer diagnoses. It’s now a “major health problem”, which apparently results in millions of deaths each year.

The researchers found that 57% of the cancer cases in China are essentially lung cancer, liver, esophageal, and stomach cancer. In comparison, those types are attributed to only 18% of cancer cases in the United States. Be it outdoor pollution or indoor pollution caused by coal burning and heating, they have a major role to play in the detriment of the population’s health.

All factors are exposing the Chinese to several environmental carcinogens, the air especially.

According to their findings, these are the result of pollution, but also of unhealthy lifestyle. Many could be prevented by adopting a healthy diet and regular exercise. It makes the situation even more unfortunate in the wake of worrying news.

The researchers also managed to estimate survival rates from the patients. Their data suggested that 36.9% of all cancer patients diagnosed in 2015 will survive around 5 years. Women had a much higher rate of 47.3% in comparison to men’s 29.3%. Admittedly, their lack of proper data and examination of records from just 22 clinics could have skewed their results.

In spite of unfortunate news and exceedingly amount of deaths, the mortality rate have been reportedly declining. The numbers for men dropped by 21.4% and by 21.1% for women. The silver lining seems to be that the situation is getting better, but, at the same time, the silver lining surrounds a very dark cloud hanging over China’s population.

Image source: pri.org