Editor's note: Cancer has been one of the great challenges we face in the long history of humanity's struggle against disease. With the advancement of medical science and technology, we have made some progress in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of tumors, but there is still a long way to go.
On the occasion of the launch of the National Cancer Prevention and Treatment Awareness Week, "Medical Joy Place" is honored to invite Academician Fan Daiming to share his achievements in cancer prevention and control in the past 30 years, as well as his expectations and strategies for future science popularization work.
"Yiyue Hui" [Health Lounge] walks into the world of Academician Fan Daiming with you, listens to his wisdom on cancer prevention and treatment, and thinks about how to carry out science popularization more effectively in the context of the new era, improve public health awareness, reduce the incidence of cancer, and contribute to the cause of human health.
Interviewees
Academician Fan Daiming
Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering
Foreign Member of the American Academy of Medicine
Foreign Member of the French Academy of Medical Sciences
Chairman of the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association
President of the Asia-Pacific Joint Society of Digestive Diseases
Director of the National Key Laboratory of Integrated Prevention and Treatment of Digestive Tumors
Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases
Director of the National New Drug Clinical Trial Agency
Yiyuehui: The National Cancer Prevention and Treatment Publicity Week has gone through a 30-year history, in these 30 years, what are the most important achievements we have made in cancer prevention and treatment?
Academician Fan Daiming: Overcoming cancer is a difficult task, and the current progress is still far from our expectations, with an overall 5-year survival rate of less than 40%, and even some tumors have a 5-year survival rate of less than 20%. Scientists around the world are constantly exploring this problem, and although they have seen good signs, they will find that there are still great limitations when translated into clinical practice.
Although the overall picture is not promising, there have actually been some important advances in the prevention, screening and diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of cancers over the past 30 years.
First of all, in terms of prevention, we have raised public health awareness through various publicity activities, especially the National Cancer Prevention and Treatment Publicity Week, the proposal of China Anti-Cancer Day, and the holding of large-scale and series of science popularization activities every year, so that more people have begun to pay attention to cancer prevention. Secondly, in terms of screening and early diagnosis, we have adopted more advanced technologies and methods, so that some tumors can be detected and treated at an early stage. In addition, in terms of treatment, with the development of medical technology, we have more effective treatments, such as targeted therapy, immunotherapy, etc., which have improved the survival rate and quality of life of patients to a certain extent. In particular, the advent of the CACA guidelines, through hundreds of lectures across the country and the linkage of hundreds of media, gathered the resources and strength of doctors and society to bring the professional opinions of cancer prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment to the grassroots level, and jointly promoted the development and progress of cancer prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment in mainland China.
Yiyuehui: What are your expectations for the popularization of cancer prevention and treatment in the new era?
Academician Fan Daiming: Sometimes, popular science work may be more important than clinical work. Because if there is a problem in the front (early diagnosis), then the future repair (clinical treatment) will not be able to make up for it, especially the treatment effect of advanced tumors is not satisfactory. Therefore, the popularization of cancer prevention and treatment in the new era should pay more attention to the prevention, screening and rehabilitation of tumors.
The purpose of the education campaign is to raise public health awareness and help people understand how to reduce the risk of cancer by changing their lifestyle habits. For example, people have recognized the importance of quitting smoking to prevent lung cancer, but quitting smoking is not only about not smoking, but also about quitting smoking as much as possible. At this point, is it possible to reduce the number of smokers by raising the price of tobacco?
For example, for cervical cancer caused by HPV virus infection, the peak age of HPV infection in China is 25~30 years old, at this time, maintaining a healthy sex life and strengthening HPV vaccination are very important to prevent cervical cancer.
For example, breast cancer is not really cancer in many cases, but a disease related to the endocrine system. This means that with endocrine therapy, it is possible to treat this type of breast cancer. Why are there more and more breast cancers now? It is mainly related to lifestyle, such as fertility and breastfeeding. Studies have shown that not having children or breastfeeding may increase the risk of breast cancer. In addition, excessive use of contraceptives may also be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, and positive BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are significantly associated with the risk of breast cancer. Angelina Jolie chose prophylactic excision because she was diagnosed with a BRCA1 mutation and has a higher risk of breast and ovarian cancer. I don't recommend people to follow her example, because if a certain organ is removed prophylactically due to a mutation in an oncogene, it is likely to have other serious consequences.
At least for breast cancer, there are studies that show that fertility and breastfeeding can reduce the risk of breast cancer by lowering the levels of certain hormones in the body. Then women can also reduce the risk of breast cancer by breastfeeding their children in their lives.
In addition, cancers related to abnormalities in the endocrine system, such as breast cancer and thyroid cancer, may not be caused by the malignant behavior of the cancer cells themselves, but are related to an imbalance in hormone levels. Ovarian and prostate cancers are actually also related to the endocrine system. The incidence of prostate cancer increases with age, and many older men may have prostate cancer without knowing it. The growth of prostate cancer can be inhibited by controlling androgen levels. Therefore, adjusting the endocrine balance may be helpful in the treatment of these cancers.
In addition, genetics and parents' lifestyle (e.g., smoking, drinking, stress, and staying up late) can influence genes during the embryonic stage, thereby increasing the risk of cancer in offspring. The home environment and mental health also have an impact on cancer risk. Therefore, healthy lifestyle habits, reduced exposure to harmful environmental factors, and maintenance of mental health are also essential to prevent cancer.
In short, in the context of the new era, the popularization of cancer prevention and treatment science should pay more attention to science and effectiveness, and emphasize the importance of early detection and treatment. Modern means of communication, such as the Internet and new media, should be used to increase the coverage and influence of popular science publicity. At the same time, the content of popular science should be closer to the actual needs of the public, explain complex medical knowledge in easy-to-understand language, and improve the public's health literacy. In addition, we should also strengthen the promotion of cancer prevention knowledge, such as smoking cessation, reasonable diet, moderate exercise and other lifestyle adjustments, which are important measures to prevent cancer.
Yiyuehui: What are CACA's initiatives to help doctors carry out oncology science popularization to help them carry out their work better?
Academician Fan Daiming: Doctors are usually very busy with their work, and they may not have enough time to explain the disease-related knowledge to patients in detail. In this case, the patient may need to obtain health information through other means.
The CACA guidelines published by the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association can be used as one of the ways to obtain health information. It is recommended that patients can read the CACA guidelines to understand the relevant knowledge, in order to adapt to the changes of the times, the CACA guidelines are also constantly updated, and the second version of the guidelines will be released soon.
In addition, some medical professionals may themselves have unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as smoking and drinking. This condition may affect the credibility of their health guidance. Therefore, medical professionals should lead by example and demonstrate healthy lifestyle habits in order to drive and influence more patients to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Finally, even if people are aware of health, it is very difficult to change bad habits, and this change requires continuous effort and perseverance.
In conclusion, science popularization and health education is an ongoing process that requires the joint efforts of medical professionals, patients and society as a whole.
撰稿：Anna
Typesetting: Sticky Winter
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