An increase in early cancer detection rates at a single cancer center: Experiences from Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center

Abstract

Cancer has become a major fatal disease in China. The relatively lower early detection rates for multiple cancer types have been one of the main reasons for a relatively lower cancer curative rate in China compared with the developed countries. To investigate trends in the early cancer detection rate over the past 5 years in a major city of China, 45,260 patients with newly diagnosed cancers of the nasopharynx, lung, thyroid, colorectum, liver, breast, uteral cervix, stomach, esophagus, blood, and kidney from 2016 to 2020 at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center were evaluated. The early detection rate (stage I disease) for all cancer types in combination significantly increased from 14.4 to 23.07%. Among the studied cancer types, a significant increase in stage I cancers was proportionally seen in cancers of the lung, thyroid, colorectum, and uterine cervix. While for cancers of the liver and stomach, a significant proportional increment was only observed when combining stage I and stage II diseases. No significant alteration in early cancer detection of the nasopharynx, breast, esophagus, blood, or kidney was observed. Three limitations of this present study include relatively small cohorts of cancer patients, relatively short observation periods, and limited sample representativeness. Further efforts are anticipated to validate our findings with larger patient cohorts from different parts of China and enhance early cancer detection rates by promoting public awareness, applying better health care policies, and improving insurance coverage and medical resources.