China has the most lung cancer sufferers in the world. Since 1977, lung cancer has been on top of all malignant cancers in terms of prevalence and mortality rate, which are still rising. And the deaths caused by lung cancer have accounted for 29% of the total of malignant-cancer-caused deaths, indicating that lung cancer has become one of the major causes of death in Beijing. Thus, we would like to take advantage of this November, i.e. Lung Cancer Awareness Month, to deepen citizens’ understanding of lung cancer and arouse public attention.
Lung cancer, first and foremost, arises from smoking. It has been confirmed that lung cancer is associated with the age of starting smoking, the duration of smoking, daily consumption of cigarettes, variety of cigarette, etc. The lung cancer risk for smokers is over ten times higher than that for non-smokers. Besides smoking, lung cancer can also be attributed to passive smoking and environmental pollution (e.g. indoor and outdoor air pollution), cooking oil fumes, saturated fat, and some chronic lung diseases. People with chronic lung diseases, like chronic tracheitis, tuberculosis, and diffuse interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, are found more vulnerable to lung cancer than others.
To deal with the aforementioned risk factors, it is essential to take preventive measures which include: first, giving up smoking; second, refraining from cooking deep-fried and stir-fried food too often so as to reduce oil fumes inside houses, and eating more fresh vegetables, fruits and carotenoid; third, ventilating rooms to improve indoor air quality; fourth, giving special attention to the prevention of tuberculosis and the treatment of chronic lung diseases.
Lung Cancer Awareness Month was a world-wide campaign initiated by the Global Lung Cancer Coalition in November, 2001. On the morning of November 1, Beijing Cancer Treatment Hospital will provide consultancy service relating to the prevention, diagnosis and standardized treatment of lung cancer. Meanwhile in the hospital’s auditorium, there will be a ticket-free expert lecture entitled “Taking Care of Your Health and Seeing Lung Cancer from a Scientific Perspective”.
Background Information
According to WHO yearbooks, lung cancer, rampant in Europe and America in recent years, is seen as the most prevalent malignant cancer in 36 out of 50 countries and regions involved in WHO surveys. China is also facing the challenge of lung cancer, which harms more people than any other cancer does in this country. The Major Causes of Deaths in Urban and Rural Areas 2006, released by the Chinese Ministry of Health, revealed an astounding truth that the adjusted incidence rate of lung cancer had risen to 61.4/100,000. What’s even worse, the increase of the incidence rate is likely to continue. If so, China will be the country that has the highest incidence rate of lung cancer by 2015.
Beijing has a comparatively high incidence rate of lung cancer. Ever since 1977, lung cancer has been taking the first position among all malignant cancers in mortality rate and incidence rate. Those who died from lung cancer account for 29% of all deaths caused by malignant cancers. During the period 1974-2003, the mortality rate soared by 167%. The computed mortality rate in 1992 was 35/100,000, yet the number in 2001 was 54/100,000.