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A six-step quality-improvement model for cancer diagnosis and treatment in China

Nature Medicine volume 30, pages 320–321 (2024)Cite this article

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In 2016, there were approximately 4 million new cancer cases and 2.4 million cancer deaths in China1. The age-standardized incidence rate was 186.46 per 100,000 individuals, with an age-standardized mortality rate of 105.19 per 100,000 individuals2. The 5-year relative survival rate of cancer in China has risen from 30.9% to 40.5% according to recent data3, which is much lower than the average survival rate of 67.9% in the USA4.

Differences between countries in cancer survival may be due to these countries’ having different profiles of high-incidence and high-mortality tumors5. The relatively low survival rate in China may also be related to the length of time it takes for patients with cancer to see a doctor, the different levels of diagnostic ability and treatment across China, and the inadequate implementation of cancer diagnosis and treatment guidelines and specifications6. There is therefore a need to improve the quality, standardization and homogeneity of cancer diagnosis and treatment in China.

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Fig. 1: The cancer quality-control system in China.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Office for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Quality Control, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

    Wenjing Yang & Jie He

  2. Department of Thoracic Surgery, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China

    Jie He

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  1. Wenjing Yang
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  2. Jie He
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Correspondence to Jie He.

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Yang, W., He, J. A six-step quality-improvement model for cancer diagnosis and treatment in China. Nat Med 30, 320–321 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02720-x

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