Cancer is one of the core challenges of global public health, but with the innovation of medical technology and the improvement of the medical system, China's cancer treatment has changed from the passive response of “talking about cancer” to the comprehensive model of “accurate diagnosis and treatment, multidisciplinary synergy, and Chinese and Western complementation”. I. Treatment Methods
Treatment Mode
Cancer treatment in China has long broken through the single framework of traditional “surgery + radiotherapy” to form a precise system of “differentiation and treatment, dynamic adjustment”, with core treatment means including:
1. Surgical treatment: minimally invasive and function preservation
The first choice for early-stage cancers (e.g. lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer) is still surgery, but the technology has been upgraded from open surgery to laparoscopic/robotic minimally invasive surgery. For example, da Vinci Surgical Robot in prostate cancer and gastric cancer surgery can realize millimeter-level operation, reduce bleeding (more than 60% lower than traditional surgery) and nerve damage, and significantly improve patients' postoperative quality of life.
2.Radiotherapy: accurate “carving” of tumors
Radiotherapy has evolved from “large-area irradiation” to precision technologies such as stereotactic radiotherapy (SBRT) and proton heavy ion radiotherapy. Taking proton therapy as an example, its “Bragg peak” characteristic can precisely kill tumors, while reducing radiation damage to normal tissues around the heart and lungs, which is especially suitable for children's tumors (e.g. medulloblastoma) and head and neck tumors (e.g. nasopharyngeal carcinoma).
3. Targeted therapy:
based on tumor gene detection (e.g. EGFR, ALK, BRAF mutation), specific drugs are used to block the cancer-causing pathway. For example, lung cancer patients with EGFR exon 19 deletion can be treated with oxitinib (a third-generation TKI), with a median progression-free survival (PFS) of 18.9 months; hepatocellular carcinoma patients who received lenvatinib combined with a PD-1 inhibitor, with an objective remission rate (ORR) increased to 46%.
4. Immunotherapy:
By activating the patient's own immune system to attack the tumor, PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors (such as pembrolizumab and karelizumab) have achieved breakthroughs in long-term survival in the fields of lung cancer, melanoma, and Hodgkin's lymphoma, etc. For example, patients with advanced melanoma have achieved long-term survival (PFS) of 18.9%; patients with liver cancer receiving lenvatinib in combination with PD-1 inhibitors have achieved 46% ORR. For example, the 5-year survival rate of advanced melanoma patients with PD-1 inhibitors has increased from 15% to 50%; the median overall survival (OS) of some hepatocellular carcinoma patients after receiving the “T+A” regimen (atilizumab + bevacizumab) reached 19.2 months.
. Combination therapy: the synergistic effect of 1+1>2
Surgery + adjuvant therapy, targeted + immunization, radiotherapy + immunization and other combinations are often used in clinical practice. For example, the neoadjuvant treatment of “albumin paclitaxel + carboplatin + PD-1 inhibitor” for triple-negative breast cancer patients after surgery has increased the rate of pathological complete remission (pCR) from 41% to 68%, and significantly reduced the risk of recurrence.
Recommended Hospitals
The core resources for cancer treatment in China are concentrated in public specialized oncology hospitals, which are known for their full range of disciplines, cutting-edge technologies, and strong multidisciplinary collaboration (MDT) capabilities:
1. Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (Beijing)
As a supporting unit of the National Cancer Center, the hospital is a global leader in the comprehensive strength of lung cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer and other disciplines. The hospital has established the “Total Disease Management Center” to provide patients with a full chain of services from early screening to end-stage palliative care. In the field of lung cancer, the hospital has taken the lead in carrying out the “liquid biopsy-guided dynamic treatment”, and the research on drug resistance mechanism is at the forefront of the international arena.
2. Fudan University Cancer Hospital (Shanghai)
Characterized by “precision diagnosis and treatment”, the hospital has formed advantages in the fields of breast cancer (annual operation volume of more than 8,000 cases globally), pancreatic cancer (mortality rate of multidisciplinary operation is less than 1%) and lymphoma (the number of clinical researches on CAR-T cell therapy ranks the forefront in China), etc. Its “Precision Diagnosis and Treatment of Oncology” has formed advantages in the field of lung cancer. Its “Tumor Precision Diagnosis and Treatment Center” integrates genetic testing, imaging AI diagnosis, and drug development resources, and the average diagnosis time for patients has been shortened to 3 days.
3. Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou)
Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center (Guangzhou) is internationally renowned in the fields of nasopharyngeal cancer, liver cancer and nasopharyngeal cancer. For nasopharyngeal cancer, it pioneered the program of “IMRT combined with targeted therapy”, which has increased the 5-year survival rate from 60% to 80%; in the field of hepatocellular carcinoma, it has carried out the strategy of “transformative therapy followed by surgery”, which has resulted in the surgical resection rate of unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma reaching 70%, and the 5-year survival rate reaching 52%. In the field of liver cancer, the strategy of “transformative treatment followed by surgery” has enabled the surgical resection rate of unresectable liver cancer to reach 70% and the 5-year survival rate to reach 52%.
4. Peking University Cancer Hospital (Beijing)
Gastrointestinal tumors, lymphoma and melanoma are its strengths. The Gastrointestinal Oncology Surgery Department's “incisionless laparoscopic surgery” is extremely traumatic; the Lymphoma Department has taken the lead in formulating a number of Chinese guidelines, and the CAR-T treatment for relapsed and refractory lymphomas has achieved a complete remission rate (CRR) of 58%.
Treatment Advantages
The competitiveness of China's cancer treatment stems from the triple drive of technological innovation, improved drug accessibility, and optimized service model:
1. Technological iteration keeps pace with international standards
The rise of domestically produced medical equipment (e.g., the Joint Shadow Proton Therapy System and minimally invasive robots) has lowered the cost of high-end treatments; the popularization of surgical robots, SBRT, and other technologies have made it possible for patients in third- and fourth-tier cities to obtain first-tier treatments.
2. China's Innovative Drugs “Bending the Curve”
Since 2021, domestically produced drugs have accounted for more than 60% of the new anti-cancer drugs approved in China. For example, Hengrui Medicine's PD-1 inhibitor Carilizumab covers 11 cancer types; Zejing Pharmaceutical's liver cancer-targeted drug Donafinil has better efficacy than imported Sorafenib; Rongchang Biological's ADC drug Vedicilizumab provides a new option for breast cancer patients with low HER2 expression.
3. Medical Insurance and Beneficiary Policy Landing
After the adjustment of health insurance catalog in 2023, the average price of 123 anti-cancer drugs has been reduced by 61%, among which the annual treatment cost of PD-1 inhibitors has been reduced from RMB 300,000 to RMB 30,000 to 50,000; supplemental insurances, such as the “Major Disease Medical Insurance” and the “Beneficial People's Insurance”, have further lowered the burden of patients. The out-of-pocket payment ratio for some targeted drugs has been reduced to less than 10%.
4. Normalization of multidisciplinary collaboration (MDT)
MDT clinics are commonly implemented in top hospitals. For example, the lung cancer MDT of Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences gathers experts from thoracic surgery, medical oncology, radiotherapy, and imaging to formulate a personalized plan for patients, which has increased the effective rate of treatment by 20%, and lowered the rate of over-treatment by 30%.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
Chinese medicine is not a “substitute for Western medicine” in cancer treatment, but plays a unique value by “reducing toxicity and increasing efficiency, regulating immunity and improving body quality”, especially in the following scenarios:
1. Reducing radiotherapy side effects
Radiotherapy can easily lead to radiation pneumonia and enteritis, and chemotherapy can easily lead to nausea and vomiting, and bone marrow suppression. Chinese medicine can alleviate the symptoms through the formula of “clearing heat and removing toxins, strengthening the spleen and stomach” (such as Astragalus, Dangshen, and Hanxia): clinical research shows that the incidence of grade III-IV myelosuppression of chemotherapy patients with the addition of Chinese medicines is reduced from 35% to 18%; for patients with radiotherapy-induced pneumonitis, the time of recovery of lung function is shortened by 40% after the combination of traditional Chinese medicine treatment.
2. Enhance immunity and quality of life
The theory of Chinese medicine “support the principle” (e.g. Sijunzi Tang, Liuwei Di Huang Wan) can regulate the activity of T-cell subpopulation and NK-cells, and improve the symptoms of patients such as fatigue, insomnia, and loss of appetite. A Meta-analysis that included 500 cases of advanced lung cancer showed that the quality of life score (KCCQ) of the combined Chinese and Western medicine group was 27% higher than that of the Western medicine-only group.
3. Synergistic effect in some cancer types
In the field of liver cancer, stomach cancer and pancreatic cancer, there may be synergistic effect between TCM and targeted/immunotherapy. For example, objective remission rate (ORR) increased from 35% to 52% in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with huazhuxin capsule combined with lenvatinib; the median OS of Kang Lite injection combined with PD-1 inhibitor in the treatment of pancreatic cancer was prolonged from 8.5 to 11.2 months (more high-quality clinical studies are needed to verify this).
Summary: The “Chinese Solution” for Cancer Treatment
Cancer treatment in China has entered a new stage of “precision, standardization, and personalization”: top hospitals are leading the technological innovation, domestic drugs are lowering the threshold of treatment, and the synergy of Chinese medicine is expanding the boundaries of treatment. For patients, early screening and early diagnosis (e.g., low-dose CT for lung cancer, colonoscopy for colorectal cancer) is the key to improve the cure rate; after diagnosis, they should choose hospitals with MDT capability, and formulate a plan by combining pathological types, staging, and genetic features; and the combination of Chinese and Western medicines should be carried out under the guidance of regular Chinese medicine oncology specialists, so as to avoid blindly using medicines.
Cancer treatment has never been as promising as it is today - technological advances, drug breakthroughs, and systematic improvements are working together to draw a blueprint for “Healthy China” in the fight against cancer.