Cancer main cause of death in Beijing

The latest cancer statistics show that an average of 104 Beijingers are diagnosed with cancer every day, an increase of four percent in a decade, according to health authorities.

Lei Haichao, vice director of Beijing health bureau, said that cancer has become the leading cause of death in the city since 2007, reported the Legal Mirror yesterday.

Statistics from Beijing cancer prevention and control office show that the cancer rate shot up from 171 per 100,000 people in 2001 to 302 per 100,000 in 2010. In 2010, newly increased cancer cases among people with Beijing residency reached 37,000, 104 cases a day on average. This does not take into account migrant workers who do not have a local residence permit.

According to Lei, the rate of malignant cancer rises as people grow older. For men the biggest killer is lung cancer, followed by bowel and liver cancer, but for women it's breast cancer, followed by lung and bowel cancer.

"It's due to environmental problems, food contamination, work pressure and lifestyle," said Ren Jun, professor with Beijing Cancer Hospital, adding that all those factors contribute to the changes in the human immune system which can lead to cancer.

Ren said that in 1980s and 90s, the incidence of cancer was higher in those over 55, but now the rate is also high for younger people.

He said progress of hospitals' registration system of disease, better healthcare systems, and people's increasing awareness are reasons for the rise.

Cancer is still the leading cause of death in developing countries like China, Ren said, while in developed countries like the US, the rate of cancer has been in decline since 2002.

Doctor Zhou Liqiang, of the Cancer Institute and Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences said lung cancer is declining in the US, but in China, it is the number one killer for men, partly because there are more male smokers.

"Cancer can be prevented by improving the environment and changing lifestyles, but for individuals, it's very difficult to detect most cancers, even if people have a yearly physical examination," Zhou told the Global Times.

Ren proposed that cancer awareness should be spread. There is to be a nationwide Cancer Awareness Week from April 15 to 21, promoted by Beijing Health Bureau to spread knowledge of the causes and symptoms of cancer.

Statistics from the World Health Organization show that the global cancer rate will jump by 50 percent by 2020, 15 million new cases per year. Currently, 20 percent of new cancer patient cases are from China, the WHO said.