Takeda China Advocates for a Comprehensive National Tumor Prevention and Control System at the 12th Healthy China Forum

Beijing, January 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The 12th Healthy China Forum, hosted by the People's Daily Health Client and Health Times, convened today in Beijing. More than 1,000 representatives from various sectors of the industry gathered to discuss hot topics in China's healthcare and health sector. Mr. Shan Guohong, President of Takeda China, was invited to attend and delivered a keynote speech titled "Global Experience in Cancer Prevention and Control." He called for the establishment of a comprehensive system for early cancer prevention and control, led by the government with multi-party collaboration, to help achieve the "Healthy China" goal.

“Cancer prevention and control is one of the common public health challenges facing countries worldwide. As a country with a high incidence of cancer, China continues to face a severe situation in cancer prevention and control,” stated Mr. Shan Guohong. “We recommend incorporating early cancer screening into the national program.”Establish a comprehensive system for the early prevention and control of cancer, led by the government with multi-party collaboration."To this end, Takeda will leverage its innovative strengths in research and development, share global experience, and advance the transition from a 'disease-centered' approach to a 'people's health-centered' one."

Cancer prevention and control is a global challenge, and malignant tumors have become one of the major public health issues seriously threatening the health of residents in China.^[1]. With the "Healthy China" initiative elevated to a national strategy, adhering to the principle of prioritizing cancer prevention and integrating prevention with treatment has become the guiding ideology for cancer prevention and control in China.^[2]The State Council explicitly set forth in the "Healthy China Action (2019–2030)" the goals that by 2022 and 2030, the overall 5-year cancer survival rate in China shall be no less than 43.3% and 46.6%, respectively.^[3]。

Mr. Shan Guohong pointed out that among the five most common cancers in China, digestive system tumors alone account for half.^[4], with the prevention and control situation for gastric cancer being particularly severe. Data shows that in 2018, new gastric cancer cases in China (456,000) accounted for nearly half of the global new cases, while its mortality rate (17.5 per 100,000) ranked highest among digestive tract malignant tumors in China.^[5]According to Mr. Shan Guohong, Japan’s total population is over 100 million, with approximately 12.23 million gastroscopies performed annually.^[6]; in China, with a population of 1.4 billion, this figure is only 22.25 million^[7]. Therefore, although both are countries with a high incidence of gastric cancer, Japan has increased the diagnosis and treatment rate of early-stage gastric cancer to 70% through endoscopic screening covering a wide population, which is significantly higher than China's 10%.^[8]Meanwhile, Japan launched a gastric cancer elimination program in 2013, marking the first time that Helicobacter pylori eradication was implemented for patients with chronic gastritis (Hp) The treatment was included in the national medical insurance coverage, and four years after the implementation of the policy, the number of gastric cancer deaths decreased by 9.2%.^[9]He pointed out: "China can draw on Japan's successful experience by implementing a multi-level prevention and control system, driven by joint efforts from the government, academia, and society, along with proactive intervention strategies. These measures will significantly reduce the incidence and mortality rates of gastric cancer, helping to accelerate the achievement of the 'Healthy China' goal of improving the overall five-year survival rate for cancer."

Given China’s vast territory, large population base, and uneven distribution of medical resources, early cancer screening continues to face significant challenges. Therefore, Mr. Shan Guohong has called for collaborative efforts among the government, experts, and all sectors of society to improve the system for early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, strengthen standardized clinical diagnosis and treatment and prevention and control measures, and expand nationwide public education on cancer prevention and control, thereby comprehensively establishing a scientific, standardized, and regulated integrated system for early cancer prevention and control.

As a patient-centric, R&D-driven global innovative biopharmaceutical company, Takeda leverages its leading R&D capabilities and industry leadership to actively promote the continuous development of China’s healthcare sector. In April 2019, Takeda partnered with the Endoscopist Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association and the National Center for Quality Control in Digestive Endoscopy, among other institutions, to launch the “China Digestive Endoscopy Certification Program,” aimed at further improving the quality of digestive disease diagnosis and treatment and enhancing its accessibility at the primary care level. In June of the same year, Takeda supported the release of the “Chinese Expert Consensus on Helicobacter pylori Eradication and Gastric Cancer Prevention and Control,” which provides positive guidance for early screening, early diagnosis, and early treatment of gastric cancer. Meanwhile, in areas such as disease awareness education, promotion of standardized diagnosis and treatment, advancement of scientific research and innovation, and enhancement of healthcare services, Takeda has established diverse forms of collaboration with various sectors of society, contributing to the achievement of the cancer prevention and control goal of “reducing incidence and mortality rates.”

^[1]National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China,"Healthy China Action - Implementation Plan for Cancer Prevention and Control (2019-2022)", September 2019
^[2]The Central People's Government of the People's Republic of China,“Outline of the ‘Healthy China 2030’ Plan”, October 2016
^[3]National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China,"Healthy China Action (2019–2030)", July 2019
^[4]Zheng Rongshou, Sun Kexin, et al. “Analysis of the Epidemiology of Malignant Tumors in China in 2015.” Chinese Journal of Oncology, vol. 41, no. 1, Jan. 2019.
^[5] Rui-Mei Feng, Yi-Nan Zong, Su-Mei Cao & Rui-Hua Xu, Current cancer situation in China: good or bad news from the 2018 Global Cancer Statistics? Cancer Communications volume 39, Article number: 22 (2019)
^[6] Hamashima, Chisato & Goto Rei. Potential capacity of endoscopic screening for gastric cancer in Japan. Cancer science[J]. 2016, 101-107.
^[7]Wang Luowei, Xin Lei, et al. Current Status of the Development of Digestive Endoscopy Technology in China. Chinese Journal of Digestive Endoscopy, 2015, 32(8): 501-15.
^[8]Consensus on Early Gastric Cancer Screening and Endoscopic Diagnosis and Treatment in China (2014, Changsha)
^[9] Tsuda M, et al. Effect on Helicobacter pylori eradication therapy against gastric cancer in Japan. Helicobacter. 2017 Oct;22(5).