(Yicai) April 22 -- The prevalence of cancer in China continued to rise in 2024, according to a new report from the country’s leading cancer institution. Almost 5.2 million new cases were recorded that year, with an aging population driving an increase among older people.

About 2.7 million new cancer cases were men and about 2.5 million were women in 2024, the latest report from the National Cancer Center shows. The total number rose by 325,900 over the two years from 2022, with people aged 60 and above accounting for nearly 62 percent. New cases rose rapidly after age 40 and peaked among people aged 80 to 84.

The increase highlights the growing pressure the incidence of malignant growths is placing on China’s healthcare system as its society ages.

Lung cancer still ranks first by both incidence and mortality nationwide, with the risks of prevention and control exacerbated by an aging population, per the NCC report. It had the highest incidence rate among men aged 40 and above and among women aged 60 and above.

The Lung Cancer Screening and Early Treatment Protocol of 2024 recommends low-dose spiral computed tomography screening for high-risk individuals aged 50 and above. But screening rates remain relatively low in less-developed regions of China because of the high cost, which partly explains why premature deaths from lung cancer have declined at different rates in eastern and central-western parts of the country.

The report also said China continues to face a heavy burden from cancers of the digestive system. Incidence rises rapidly after age 40, while mortality increases significantly after age 50.

Colorectal cancer is still moving up the ranking and has now reached second place among men, especially those aged 60 and older. Deaths from cancers of the colon or rectum, liver, and stomach, are second only to lung cancer.

Although China’s premature mortality rate from cancer fell to 6.7 percent from 13.1 percent over the past 30 years or so, cancer-related deaths in both China and the world are expected to keep rising because of population aging and widespread unhealthy lifestyles, Shen Hongbing, administrator of the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration, said in an article published in The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific, a medical journal.

Editor: Emmi Laine