The number of Chinese citizens dying from cancer has continued to surge upward every year, with the disease becoming a leading cause of the death in the country.
On Feb. 3, the World Health Organization released a report on cancer and its effects on the global scale. According to the report, an estimated 2.2. million Chinese people die from cancer each year.
The number is equivalent to one-fourth of the reported cases all over the world.
In the report, lung cancer was named as the most common type diagnosed among Chinese patients as well as the leading cause of death. It was closely followed by breast cancer for women.
"The growth of cancer in China is ferocious," said Dr. Bernhard Schwartlander, WHO representative in China. "We must do all that we can to prevent cancer, and spare as many Chinese families as possible from the heartache, pain, suffering and financial hardship of a cancer diagnosis."
But while the rate is alarming, Schwartlander said that most of the cases could have been prevented.
"Improving cancer prevention in China--for example, by reducing very high smoking rates especially among Chinese men--would save many millions of lives every year," said the WHO official.
He stressed that "the single best thing you can do for your health is to stop smoking right now."
The WHO official also said that "awareness is the first step to early detection" in breast cancer. He added that "with few exceptions, early stage cancers are less lethal and more treatable than late stage cancers."
In 2013, a survey conducted by the National Cancer Center Registry of China showed that more than 600,00 people in the country are already affected by cancer.
NCCR representative Chen Wanqing said: "The difference in races and cancer spectrum make lung cancer, liver cancer and some other cancers with a minimum recovery rate the most common in China."
Chen stressed that in order to address the high number of cases in the country, the government should allot more funds to improve early detection of the disease so people could get the right treatment.
He added: "It should also encourage research into anti-cancer drugs to improve the recovery rate."