China's cancer survival rate less than half that of US, new study finds

[DefJam]

China's cancer survival rate less than half that of US, new study finds

The five year survival rate of all cancers in China is 30.9 per cent - compared to 66 per cent in the US

PUBLISHED : Thursday, 06 November, 2014, 2:26pm
UPDATED : Thursday, 06 November, 2014, 5:35pm

Alice Yan [email protected]

Breast cancer had the highest survival rate in China at 73 per cent. Photo: AP

China has a cancer survival rate less than half that of the United States, according to the first ever nationwide survey on the subject.

The five year survival rate of all cancers in China is 30.9 per cent – compared to the 66 per cent rate in the US, the study revealed.

Researchers analysed nearly 140,000 patients from across the country who were diagnosed with cancer between 2003 and 2005.

Results showed that breast cancer had the highest survival rate, at 73 per cent. Cancers of the stomach and oesophagus, among the most common, had survival rates of just 27.4 per cent and 20.9 per cent respectively.

The survival rate of lung and liver cancer was even lower, at 16.1 per cent and 10.1 per cent respectively. The survival rate for women was generally higher than for men, according to the research.

The study, which began in 2011, was conducted by experts from the National Office for Cancer Prevention and Control and National Central Cancer Registry.

Results were published in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Cancer last month.

Rural patients have a survival rate for all cancers as low as 21.8 per cent, half that of their urban counterparts, 39.5 per cent.

In China about 3.12 million people a year – or 8,550 people a day – are diagnosed with cancer, official statistics show. The prevalence of all types of cancer on the mainland was 285.91 cases for every 100,000 people in 2009 – a rate which has doubled over the past two decades. The death rate from cancer was 180.54 per 100,000 people, much higher than in the 1980s, according to a 2012 report.

Dr Chen Wanqing, deputy director of the National Office for Cancer Prevention, said investigation of cancer survival rates, along with studying cancer prevalence and mortality, was an important part of researching the impact of cancer.

“It’s the first nationwide study on cancer survival. We followed each patient and checked their history of visiting hospitals until the end of 2010. It’s a time-consuming job,” he told the South China Morning Post.

“The cancer survival rate is a necessary reference for the authorities to allocate medical resources and is also an indication of the treatment performance of a region.”

Chen said each country has a different pool of cancers, leading to different general cancer survival rate.

“A high proportion of US patients have prostate cancer or breast cancer, both of which have good results after treatment. So the cancer survival rate [of the US] is relatively high,” he said.

But on the mainland, the survival of the patients with these two kinds of diseases is lower because of many of them are at a late stage when they receive treatment.

The bulk of cancer patients in China are afflicted by cancers of the lung, liver, stomach and pancreas. “The survival rates of these four types of cancers are low around the world and scientists haven’t discovered better treatment,” Chen said.

The study suggests the central government should increase investment to improve public health services, especially in rural areas, Chen argued.

“More health education and cancer screening should be carried out, so that patients can be treated at the early stage of their illness,” said Chen.

In addition, rural medical insurance schemes should include more diseases and issue higher reimbursement, so workers such as farmers can afford treatment. Rural doctors should also receive more training on cancer diagnosis and treatment to reduce delays in the treatment of rural patients, he added.

 

[Leongsam]

That's because the dumb fuck Chinese rely on TCM snake oil quackery instead of scientifically formulated drugs that have passed the stringent criteria set by the FDA.

 

[Pfizer]

That's because the dumb fuck Chinese rely on TCM snake oil quackery instead of scientifically formulated drugs that have passed the stringent criteria set by the FDA.

Izzittt....

 

[soIsee]

That's because the dumb fuck Chinese rely on TCM snake oil quackery instead of scientifically formulated drugs that have passed the stringent criteria set by the FDA.

No, you are wrong that is becos those dumb fuck ppl who gather such data and publish them are screwed and conned by those LARGE INFLUENTIAL PHARMA in the US, who has deep connection to all those in running the country to put up fake and dumb fuck data about their own survival rate simply for business reasons.

It is eitheir your life or your money and the Pharma wants both.LoL

 

[MirrorMan]

No, you are wrong that is becos those dumb fuck ppl who gather such data and publish them are screwed and conned by those LARGE INFLUENTIAL PHARMA in the US, who has deep connection to all those in running the country to put up fake and dumb fuck data about their own survival rate simply for business reasons.

It is eitheir your life or your money and the Pharma wants both.LoL

Izzzzit???

 

[DefJam]

Doesn't matter anyway whether it's genuine as they die faster

TCM doctor denies dodging diagnostic challenge

China Daily, November 8, 2014

Chinese traditional diagnosis (file photo)

A traditional Chinese medicine physician who accepted a challenge to diagnose pregnancies using a disputed method denied on Friday claims that he had withdrawn from the contest.

Yang Zhen, an associate professor at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, publicly agreed to take the challenge posed by Ning Fanggang, a doctor of Western medicine at Beijing Jishuitan Hospital, to determine solely by taking their pulse whether 80 percent of a group of women were pregnant.

Ning offered any senior doctor of traditional Chinese medicine at a reputable hospital who could pull off the feat 50,000 yuan ($8,160), an amount soon increased to 100,000 yuan through Internet users' donations.

Ning, who was doubtful of the traditional practices, said in a micro blog post, "If a doctor is successful, I will never state that traditional Chinese medicine is a fake science".

On Thursday, Yang posted a statement online complaining that a plan for the contest released on Monday is seriously flawed and suggested he might not participate.

The organizer "didn't even ask for my opinion before releasing it," Yang said.

Under a previous plan, 104 women would be tested, but the new plan was reduced to 32.

"The result of the test would lack persuasiveness with such a small sample," he said.

He also questioned the legitimacy of the plan, because regulations prohibit doctors from practicing medicine outside the hospital where they registered, he said.

On Friday, Yang denied he would quit, but found the new terms of the contest unsatisfactory and was waiting for them to be improved so he could take part.

Yang could not be reached for comment on Friday.

According to a statement he released online on Thursday, Yang had backed out and he would welcome senior doctors of traditional Chinese medicine from all over China to take the challenge.

No other qualified doctors had agreed as of Thursday, he said, and the contest would be canceled within two weeks if nobody did.

Yang said he had accepted the challenge because he wanted to prove that traditional Chinese medicine is a science. He said the traditional way of testing pregnancy by feeling pulse is supported by science.

When a woman becomes pregnant, the volume of blood in her body increases sharply, he said, leading to enlarged blood vessels, faster blood flow and a faster heart beat.

"I think my chances of winning are more than 80 percent," he added.

The contest has sparked heated discussion on the Internet about the effectciveness of traditional Chinese medicine and many experts have questioned the legitimacy of the contest.

"The pregnancy contest is meaningless," a statement of the State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine said.

The administration said taking a pulse is only one of many techniques adopted by the traditional Chinese medicine, whose diagnosis and treatment theories differ from those of Western medicine.

Zhu Qingwen, who practices traditional Chinese medicine at Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, said in traditional Chinese medicine practitioners have also borrowed technics from Western medicine and the two are complementary.

 

[The_Hypocrite]

One never gets cured from cancer. When a cancer patient goes for treatment. He is just kicking the can down the road. Will die sooner or later..however cancer comes back in worse form after the treatment n more suffering occurs.