CancerWorld reports on China’s national integrated cancer guidelines tailored to Chinese patients
Cancerworld recently published an article titled “China’s integrated cancer care guidelines ‘reflect self-confidence’ in the field of Oncology”.
China has launched new cancer care guidelines tailored to its patient population. Developed by over 13,000 specialists between 2022 and 2023, the “Chinese Integrated Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment Guidelines” now cover 53 cancer types and 60 treatment modalities. These guidelines integrate locally generated evidence—including the use of traditional Chinese medicine—and a holistic approach that goes beyond merely treating the disease.
At the 2024 China Integrative Oncology Conference in Xi’an, where more than 60,000 experts gathered, Fan Daiming, President of the China Anti-Cancer Association (CACA), underscored the urgent need for such guidelines:
“For every three cancer patients who die in the world, one is Chinese.”
Hong Liu, Executive Board Member of CACA’s Breast Cancer Special Committee, explained that Chinese doctors have long relied on European and American guidelines, which often fell short in addressing local needs:
“In the past, we all followed these, whether it was European or American guidelines, but perhaps the localization was not particularly sufficient, and we felt that not all foreign ones were suitable for us Chinese.”
She added:
“It reflects a sense of self-confidence… It’s a way of saying, ‘I have gained extensive experience, and I should share this knowledge with others’.”
International observers have taken note too. Katy Winckworth-Prejsnar, Director of the Global Program at the US National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), commented:
“What we found is it’s very time-consuming and costs a lot of money, and not every country can do it.”
While the guidelines emphasize integrative, holistic care—considering not only the disease but the whole patient—challenges remain.
Overall, China’s new guidelines mark a significant step in tailoring cancer care to local needs and may offer valuable insights for global oncology.
For the full article visit cancerworld.net
Founded in 2004, Cancerworld is an independent magazine for oncologists and other cancer professionals, policymakers and patient advocates. Written largely by professional journalists, it invites people from all walks of the cancer community to contribute their expertise and experience to exploring issues that impact outcomes that matter to patients.
From 2020 to 2024 the magazine was funded by Sharing Progress in Cancer Care (SPCC)
Cancerworld was set up by the European School of Oncology (ESO).
Since January 2025, Cancerworld joined the OncoDaily family and is owned and published by P53 Inc.
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