Lung cancer tops global cancer death rates for a decade

Lung cancer has emerged as the most prevalent and deadly cancer worldwide, maintaining its position as the top cause of cancer-related mortality for a decade, according to the latest data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC).

Globally, an estimated four to five people are diagnosed with lung cancer every minute, while three to four individuals succumb to the disease in the same timeframe.  

As global lung cancer burdens mount, public health strategies prioritizing prevention, accessible screening, and cutting-edge therapies offer hope in reversing this deadly trend.

In an interview with China Media Group, Chen Keneng, director of thoracic surgery at Beijing Cancer Hospital, attributed the decade-long rise in lung cancer cases to fast-paced lifestyles, industrialization, heightened stress levels, and increasing smoking rates in developing countries.  

The National Cancer Center of China reported over 1.06 million new lung cancer cases and 730,000 deaths in 2022, with both incidence and mortality rates ranking first among all malignancies.

April 15 is the start of China's National Anti-Cancer Week, during which many events will be organized to boost awareness of cancer prevention and treatment.

Early detection critical

Lung cancer is preventable, and early-stage diagnoses have high cure rates. Experts said early detection, diagnosis, and treatment are the key to combating the disease.

While chest X-rays were the primary screening tool in China before 2012, the widespread adoption of low-dose spiral CT scans has since elevated early detection rates to 90 percent.

Chen said that lung cancer presents no symptoms in its initial stages, and high-risk groups, such as long-term smokers and those with family histories, are urged to undergo annual CT screenings.

Notably, experts caution that low-dose CT scans carry radiation exposure risks and advise against yearly screenings for non-high-risk populations. 

Smoking remains the leading preventable cause of lung cancer. Studies show that quitting smoking for 10 years reduces lung cancer risk by over 50 percent.  

China has intensified community-level lung cancer screening efforts, with Beijing integrating such programs into chronic disease management frameworks, covering over a million residents. 

For early-stage cases, patients with ground-glass opacity nodules have nearly 100 percent survival rates within 5 to 10 years, while those with stage I solid tumors see 5-year survival rates of 70 to 80 percent.  

Medically, breakthroughs in targeted therapies and immunotherapies have significantly extended survival rates for advanced-stage patients. Additionally, multidisciplinary collaboration models in hospitals have further enhanced treatment outcomes.