“Each year, around 3 million new cancer cases are diagnosed in our country, with over 2.7 million deaths due to cancer annually — equivalent to more than 7,300 people dying from cancer every day. Lung cancer, liver cancer, and colorectal and anal cancers rank as the top three causes of malignant tumor deaths.” These are the latest data revealed by Professor He Jie, President of the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
At the press conference for the 15th Beijing Hope Marathon, Professor He Jie stated that the incidence of cancer in China has shown a clear upward trend, and compared to developed countries, the mortality rate remains relatively high. For example, the overall five-year survival rate for cancer in the United States exceeds 60%, while in China it is only 30%.
He Jie introduced that the Beijing Hope Marathon has been successfully held for fifteen years, raising over ten million yuan in charitable funds to assist impoverished cancer patients and support cancer prevention and treatment research in China. A total of more than 540 clinical research projects have been funded. These projects have conducted systematic studies on the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of various tumors. The research content includes early screening and new methods for early diagnosis and treatment of tumors, differential diagnosis and classification of tumors, comprehensive tumor treatment, and tumor prognosis and follow-up. This has provided a scientific basis for practical clinical applications in oncology and promoted the continuous advancement of clinical cancer research. In 2010, the Beijing Hope Marathon established the “Special Fund for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer Patients,” which provides subsidies for 1–5 years toward part of the treatment costs for economically disadvantaged patients diagnosed with early-stage cancer through the early diagnosis and treatment program. Since the project’s implementation, a total of 624 applications have been received, including 287 subsidies granted and 336 plans approved and pending execution. Among the executed plans, subsidies were provided to 107 patients in Jiangsu Province, 60 in Anhui Province, 50 in Shandong Province, and 70 in Henan Province. These efforts have reignited hope in these cancer patients, encouraging them to cherish life and live healthily.
It is understood that the 15th Beijing Hope Marathon in 2013 will commence at 9:00 a.m. on September 28, 2013, at the Wanren Square in Chaoyang Park. At the same time, a China Cancer Prevention and Control Summit Interview will be held. The event includes a charity run, an Olympic champion leading the race, a sign-language performance of “Dedication of Love,” an anti-cancer science popularization photo exhibition, and a charity sale. The public can visit the website of the China Cancer Foundation for details and to register for the charity run.