Liu Minxia

    mllmx@msn.com

    TOBACCO use is the leading cause of lung cancer among Shenzhen residents, a Shenzhen doctor told an international forum Saturday, quoting official data.

    Lung cancer has been the top killing cancer in Shenzhen for 13 years, and the number of lung cancer patients has been growing year by year, Qiao Kun, director of the thoracic surgery department of Shenzhen No. 3 People’s Hospital, told an international forum on thoracic surgery.

    Statistics from Shenzhen’s center for chronic disease control and prevention showed that an average of 38.5 in every 100,000 Shenzhen residents were found to be suffering from lung cancer last year, with 53 in every 100,000 males and 24 in every 100,000 females having been diagnosed. In 2014 and 2015, roughly 2,200 and 2,500 Shenzhen permanent residents were found to have lung cancer, respectively.

    “The number of male lung cancer patients more than doubled the number of female patients,” said Qiao. “Some overseas research found that the number of females getting lung cancer is increasing and the researchers attributed it mainly to environment pollution. I don’t agree with them. Our clinical statistics showed more than 80 percent of lung cancer patients in Shenzhen were heavy smokers.”

    The chance of smokers getting lung cancer is about 15 to 20 times that of nonsmokers, Qiao said. Those who smoke at least 20 cigarettes a day for more than 20 years are the group most prone to get lung cancer, he said.

    Qiao admitted that air pollution also poses threats to lung cancer patients, saying that lung cancer patients who are exposed to air pollution have a much lower five-year survival rate than those who are not.

    Early detection and treatment is vital to lung cancer patients, and the five-year survival rate can reach up to 90 percent if lung cancer can be treated at an early stage, Qiao said.

    The No. 3 hospital is developing a medical care platform that will allow patients to consult doctors over WeChat, without having to visit the hospital.

    The platform is expected to be put into use next year, Qiao said.

    The other top killing cancers in Shenzhen are rectal cancer, breast cancer, thyroid cancer and liver cancer.