A State and Specialized Cancer Registration Network Finally Will be Established in China

Screen shot from Zhong Liu Zi Xun

On February 4th, 2015, World Cancer Day, National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) and State Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine issued jointly "Cancer Registry Management Approach", officially started to build reliable national cancer registry system in China. 1

China's cancer data has long been complained by oncologists as "unwell founded or just rough guess".

"There are no systemic data about risk factors and cancer burdens; no data in national and local levels regarding cancer diagnoses & treatment ; no cancer diagnoses standardized guidelines" etc. 

--Prof. Wang Mingrong(vice president of Cancer Hospital of Chinese Medical Science Academy) and Chen DaiQing (China Cancer Prevention Office).

"Out of 104, Only data from 72 registries were validated to use in 2009 for the making '2012 China Cancer annual report' , and only 12 cancer registries met the criteria for data use in 2013 by WHO Cancer Research Institute. " 

--Prof. Chen WanQing (Vice chair of National Cancer Registry Center)

"We are lack of the very basic data to prevent and control cancer." 

--Prof. Zhu Jun(Party Secretary of Cancer Hospital of Peking University),

 "We don't know what have changed in cancer types in China. We just treat by guessing, and do policy research by guessing ."

           --Prof. Shen Lin (Vice president of Cancer Hospital of Peking University) 2

The county or county city will be the basic unit to set up cancer registry office, above will be municipal, provincial, then it's National Cancer Center. CDC branch in the same level will provide mortality data. 1

No doubt, this will be one game-up step for solid and much needed data for fighting cancer in a modern China.  

1. Hu Hao"NHFPC Called for the Establishment of National Cancer Registration and Management System" Xinhua daily telegraph XinHua Agent Feb. 4, 2015 Web, Feb. 23, 2015

胡浩，“卫生计生委要求在全国范围内建立肿瘤登记管理制度” 新华每日电讯  新华社 2015年2月4日 网络 2015年2月23日

2.Li Yahong, Li Bin, Hu Hao "Behind Atrocious Cancer--Focus on 4 issues of Cancer in China." XinHua Agent Feb. 4, 2015 Web, Feb. 23, 2015 

李亚红、李斌 、胡浩， “癌情凶猛的背后——中国癌情四大焦点透视” 新华社 2015年2月4日 网络 2015年2月23日