Interviews with Prof. Daiming Fan: Merging Traditional and Modern Cancer Therapies v2

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: We have a lot of use of various, some of the medicines that you have mentioned, especially artesanate, artesamine, which we use for malaria. And as you know, we have a particular type of Burkitt’s lymphoma that is endemic, that is common in malaria endemic areas. And also you mentioned the issue of resistance and the ability to reverse resistance.

We have a high chloroquine resistance and it was with the advent and the coming into the markets of artesanate that we were able to address malaria more effectively. So I think that it’s important that we continue to advocate for a lot of research that looks at the holistic combination of these therapies that are homegrown in China and in combination with Western oncology medications and methods. You also mentioned the use of acupuncture and dietary inputs.

A lot of cancer patients living with cancer are now understanding and very much value the importance of having a holistic approach that looks at not just the medications that they’re swallowing in, but of course things that you mentioned like acupuncture exercise, as well as dietary inputs. So well done Professor Fan and your team. And thank you so much for sharing this experience with us.

My final question is that, you know, we have seen some of these good things. You have spoken at length about them. How do you think we can move the needle forward globally so that we can integrate the two sciences and have more inputs?

Yes, there are some alternative holistic medication on the market, but how can we move it forward and how do you see the future of cancer control in China as it relates to the world?

Daiming Fan: I can see with the high confidence the future for cancer control in China is promising. The blueprint to close the cancer care gap and achieve a healthy China by 2030 is ambitious but possible. We need to prioritize the several actions to make this a reality.

First, to advance the realization of a right to equitable health care, health care resources must be integrated and their resources and locations optimized. All the sectors of society must work together to combine resources to enhance cancer control. Second, that prepare the public health education and the promotion of scientific knowledge, empowering the health care, the professionals and the public with information on management of the whole stage of the cancer continue.

Prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, and recovery. Third, the health care system should be demand oriented to meet the needs of cancer patients and people affected by cancer. The health care professionals working in cancer and the wider public.

If we can prioritize these actions to close the cancer care gap and uphold the equal right to health, I believe China can begin joining the finish line in the blueprint for health China by 2030.

With the aim of achieving the overall five-year cancer survival rate of 46.6% by 2030, we will make the focus on the controlling cancer risk factors to reduce the incidence, improve the prevention and treatment service system, promote early diagnosis and treatment with strengthened long-term screening mechanisms, the bolster of the standardized vision of diagnosis and treatment, and reduce the burden for people.

CARCAR will continue to collaborate with international colleagues to exchange ideas and experiences in order to improve the overall health care capacities, organize the public education campaigns to increase the public awareness on cancer prevention and treatment, and to ultimately reduce the incidence and mortality rate of cancer, promote CARCAR canine for more standard ways of cancer diagnosis and treatment used by Chinese doctors, and to improve the survival rate and quality of life for cancer patients.

And as you know, so in November, we will have our national cancer meeting to jointly hold by the AOS, and AOS means Asia Oncology Society, that is the president of that society. And also, we will found the new organization of anti-cancer nationwide, that means the World Association for the Integrative Oncology.

So, many workers, we want to collaborate with, I mean, internationally. So, you are a very, very important person to join us. So, that is why we invite you to attend this grant meeting.

We hope to meet you face-to-face several months later. So, thank you very much.

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: Thank you. Thank you, Professor. I really appreciate that.

In line with what you said, I can bear witness that my country, Nigeria, which is a high-population country like China as well, with over 200 million people, not up to China, but high considerably, has also, there is a bilateral government agreement whereby people that are involved in healthcare, particularly medical laboratories, scientists, early oncologists, are sponsored to go to China to learn more research methods for diagnosis and treatment.

And the program is a joint program between the governments of China and Nigeria, and it’s going very well. And it cuts across different aspects of development. So, thank you for the invitation once again, and we look forward to seeing you once more in China for your annual meeting, which is a very large meeting.

I must say, I have never attended a meeting that is so well attended, not just by people and students from within China, but also by international partners. So, it’s a very good meeting and well done for organizing that. So, the last thing we’re going to ask you to do now is to just say with passion the words, united against cancer.

Daiming Fan: I would say, unite against cancer, or unite to end cancer, right?

Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu: Yes, thank you. That’s great. Thank you so much, Professor.

To see the first part of Merging Traditional and Modern Cancer Therapies: Interviews with Prof. Daiming Fan visit oncodaily.com