The data released by the National Cancer Centre in Beijing reveals an overall decrease in mortality rate, but an increase in cancer diagnosis. In 2015, 2.8 million deaths. Lung cancer is the most common, with pollution and active smoking among the first causes.
Beijing (AsiaNews / Agencies) - More than 7,500 people a day died of cancer in China in 2015, while there were 12 thousand new diagnoses of cancer per day. The alarming figures were published by the National Cancer Centre in Beijing.
Chen Wanqing, one of the researchers, said that the overall death rate is decreasing compared to 2006, but there was a 78% increase in deaths due to cancer. This, according to experts, is due to the growth and aging of the population.
In total, last year there were 4.3 million new positive diagnosis and 2.8 million cancer deaths. The most common is lung cancer, which is also the leading cause of death in China. Added to its causes is air pollution and the continued growth of active smokers (more than half of Chinese men smoke). Even domestic pollution (with coal heating and biomass fuels) is among the leading causes of lung infections.
Among men, the most common cancers (besides in the lungs) are the stomach, esophagus, liver and bowel cancer. Among women the most common is breast cancer (15% of the total), lung and bronchus, stomach and intestinal cancer.
According to the researchers, the individuals most at risk are the poor and those living in rural areas, where often the soil and water are contaminated. The preventable cause of death for most common cancer, experts say, is chronic infection (stomach, intestines, etc.), which is responsible for 29% of deaths.
Chen Wanqing and colleagues analyzed data from 72 local registries, covering 6.5% of the Chinese population. It is a very large information pool, when compared with that available only a few years ago, which covered less than 2% of the citizens.