The incidence of cancer in my country is close to the world level, but the mortality rate is higher than the world level. An important reason is that more cancers in my country are found in the middle and late stages.
Luo Yongzhang, member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of the National Engineering Laboratory of Anti-tumor Protein Drugs of Tsinghua University, suggested that cancer prevention physical examinations should be included in medical insurance. "I often call for regular physical examination, early detection and early treatment, so that the tumor can be eliminated in its budding state."
Cancer mortality in my country remains high. In addition to objective reasons such as race and cancer spectrum, one of the important reasons is that more cancers are found in the middle and late stages. Luo Yongzhang, who has been committed to anti-tumor research for many years, said that the cure rate of early cancer can reach more than 90%. Early diagnosis and early treatment is internationally recognized as the most effective means of fighting cancer, and many developed countries have benefited from it. The 2017 U.S. Cancer Annual Report shows that the U.S. cancer mortality rate has fallen by 25% in the past two decades. An important reason for the above-mentioned results is the universal anti-cancer physical examination. "In contrast, my country's physical examinations are generally not very specific to cancer, and most patients are in the middle and advanced stages when they are discovered." Luo Yongzhang said.
The high incidence of cancer also brings heavy economic burdens to families and society. Relevant data show that the annual outpatient and hospitalization costs caused by tumors are much higher than the medical costs for other chronic diseases such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and diabetes. In the vast rural areas, the phenomenon of "poverty due to cancer" and "return to poverty due to cancer" is widespread. .
If the cancer can be detected and treated in time through a regular physical examination, and the cancer can be eliminated in its infancy, it will undoubtedly save a lot of medical expenses. However, some experts said that because the current cancer diagnosis in my country is mainly through laboratory immunological enzyme tests, imaging tests, etc., some examinations are expensive, routine physical examinations cannot be popularized, and difficult groups cannot bear. Therefore, Luo Yongzhang believes that including cancer prevention physical examination into medical insurance is a powerful guarantee for comprehensive cancer screening.
Luo Yongzhang suggested that the state can combine anti-cancer physical examinations with graded diagnosis and treatment by formulating guiding and supporting policies to alleviate the shortage of medical resources and increase the proportion of population coverage. At the same time, we will guide all localities to formulate anti-cancer physical examination programs according to local conditions, arrange targeted testing items for people of different ages and occupations, standardize testing content and standards, and establish residents' anti-cancer physical examination files. It should also be implemented step by step to guide the participation of commercial capital and the insurance industry to promote a virtuous circle of medical insurance and cancer prevention physical examinations.