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Cancer was responsible for around * deaths in China in 2022. Although treatment methods have significantly improved in the past few decades, cancer remained the second leading cause of death among China’s urban population, and the third leading cause of death among the rural population. Lung cancer was by far the leading cause of cancer deaths in China, making up more than a quarter of all cancer deaths. It has killed over *** thousand patients in 2022.

Surviving cancer

Cancer is a diverse group of diseases, and the survival rates for it can vary significantly depending on the type of cancer. Certain cancers, such as prostate and thyroid cancers are generally less dangerous, as the development of tumors is slow, and treatments for these are effective. On the other hand, some of the other types of cancer, particularly pancreatic cancer, can develop at faster rates, invading organs nearby or developing metastases more easily. Consequently, this can be more challenging to detect or treat, thereby, resulting in low survival rates. The number of deaths resulting from pancreatic cancer is almost identical to the number of incidences in China, with ** deaths and **new cases in 2022.

Risk factors

It is difficult to determine an individual’s cancer risks, but it is now clear that certain elements can increase the probability of developing the disease. In China, hearly half of the deaths from cancer were caused by risk factors that are preventable. These include smoking, lack of physical activities, unhealthy diet, alcohol consumption, obesity, diabetes, infectious diseases, and environmental factors like air pollution. Smoking has long been one of the most eminent causes of cancer deaths in China. Close to a quarter of male cancer deaths and one in 20 female cancer deaths are attributed to it. As more than one in four people aged 15 and above in China are smokers, smoking cessation can contribute significantly to the reduction of cancer incidences and deaths in the country.