Fifth 'West Lake Dialogue' Forum on Cancer Early Screening Convenes Industry Leaders to Advance Healthy China Initiative

The 5th “West Lake Go” Cross-Disciplinary Summit Forum on Early Cancer Screening, Prevention, and Treatment kicked off in Hangzhou on the 19th. As the organizer, New Horizon Health joined hands with top academic institutions, including the National Cancer Center, the China Cancer Foundation, and Peking University International Cancer Research Institute, to make a joint appearance. Numerous industry experts, leaders from the internet healthcare and insurance sectors, and prominent venture capitalists gathered in Hangzhou to discuss early cancer screening and contribute to the Healthy China initiative.

Early diagnosis and treatment of cancer have been elevated to a national priority. The Outline of the “Healthy China 2030” Plan, issued by the State Council, has established clear goals and tasks for cancer prevention and control. The Opinions of the State Council on Implementing the Healthy China Initiative emphasize advocating proactive cancer prevention, promoting early screening, early diagnosis, and early treatment, reducing cancer incidence and mortality rates, and improving patients’ quality of life. The scope of cancer screening should be expanded in an orderly manner. A major highlight of the Healthy China Initiative is the shift in focus from treating existing diseases to preventing them before they occur. As the early cancer screening industry benefits from favorable policies, it must also responsibly assume its industry obligations and commitments.

Amid the rallying call for early diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the summit convened three academicians, ten national committee chairs of medical specialties, twenty provincial committee chairs, thirty senior executives in health management, thirty renowned investors, seventy senior executives from the internet-based health and insurance sectors, and 200 clinical directors and expert scholars. Industry elites and leading figures shared the latest technological advancements and prevention-and-control experiences in global cancer early screening.

Nie Weiping, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Go Association, stated in his speech titled “The ‘Decisive Move’ in Life” that early cancer screening is an imperative initiative that benefits both the nation and its people. Zheng Shu, Director of the Academic Committee at the Cancer Institute of Zhejiang University, shared the current status, consensus, and existing challenges in colorectal cancer screening. According to Li Zhaoshen, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, the path to eliminating gastrointestinal cancers remains long and arduous. Wang Hongyang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Director of the National Center for Liver Cancer Science, also presented the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of liver cancer at the conference, emphasizing the motto: “Detect one case of early-stage cancer, save one life, rescue one family, and bring happiness to the entire household.”

Furthermore, renowned experts such as Wang Xishan, Director of the Department of Colorectal Surgery at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, and Wei Lihui, former Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking University People’s Hospital and Honorary Director of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Peking University, shared insights and engaged in discussions on cancer early screening, prevention, and treatment. They drew upon their practical experience and the latest advancements in high-incidence cancers, including liver cancer, cervical cancer, and colorectal cancer. Chen Wanqing, Director of the Office for Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Cancer at the National Cancer Center, presented an overview of the current status of cancer screening in China and explored various screening models.

Following the launch of its flagship products—ColoClear, PoopTube, FeiZhengQing, and ColoFriend—New Horizon Health also unveiled its latest major scientific achievement, GongZhengQing, at this summit.

GongZhengQing is the world’s first urine-based HPV detection product. “Vaccines cannot protect women who are already infected with HPV. While the 9-valent vaccine can prevent 90% of oncogenic subtypes, infections by other unprotected viral subtypes may experience compensatory rebound.” Dr. Chen Yiyou, Chief Scientist at New Horizon Health, not only clarified public misconceptions about HPV vaccines but also shared the company’s explorations and efforts to overcome the final challenges in conquering cervical cancer. Centered on enhancing user experience, these initiatives aim to break down practical barriers to cervical cancer screening adherence caused by inconvenient sampling, poor privacy, and cultural differences. By leveraging a more convenient and efficient commercial testing process, home-based cervical cancer screening has become simpler and more private.

During the signing ceremony, New Horizon Health also entered into an exclusive cooperation agreement with Prenetics Limited, a health genetics testing and digital healthcare company. Under the agreement, New Horizon Health will license its core product, Coloclear, to Prenetics, with plans to fully launch the product and related services in Hong Kong, China, and Southeast Asia in 2020. Coloclear is a non-invasive, painless stool-based genetic testing technology for early screening of colorectal cancer, specifically developed for Asian populations. Clinical studies have confirmed that it achieves a sensitivity of up to 92% in detecting colorectal cancer.

New Horizon Health has been committed to comprehensively promoting early cancer screening and popularizing knowledge about early detection through various public welfare initiatives and across multiple channels. At this summit, New Horizon Health joined forces with the China Cancer Foundation, iKang Healthcare Group, and Fashion Health magazine to jointly launch the “Qing Si Lu” public welfare campaign. As China’s first public welfare initiative focused on gastrointestinal tumors, the “Qing Si Lu” campaign aims to promote the concept of “early screening, early diagnosis, and early treatment” for gastrointestinal cancers and raise societal awareness regarding their prevention and control.

It is reported that from 2020 to 2025, New Horizon Health plans to invest RMB 10 million and collaborate with multiple partners, including the China Cancer Foundation, iKang Healthcare Group, and Fashion Health magazine, to carry out science popularization and education through various channels, thereby raising awareness about the prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal tumors. The company will conduct public welfare screening programs for gastrointestinal tumors among impoverished and low-income populations in high-incidence areas across China, supporting the development of a comprehensive system for the prevention and control of these cancers.

In addition to focusing on early cancer screening, prevention, and treatment, this summit also featured dialogues and discussions among multiple experts, including Academician Zhan Qimin of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Executive Vice President of Peking University, on topics such as the prospects of precision medicine and the blue ocean of health management.

As a pioneer in China’s cancer early screening industry, New Horizon Health is committed to reducing cancer incidence and mortality through biotechnological innovations. The company remains steadfast in its mission to bring cancer early screening into households across the nation, enabling the general public to access convenient and efficient health services. “West Lake Duel,” the premier cross-disciplinary summit on early cancer screening and prevention crafted by New Horizon Health, has now entered its fifth year. Through perseverance amid challenges, the field of cancer early screening has grown stronger, with next-generation biotechnologies continuously emerging and the cancer prevention and control system becoming increasingly robust.