Cancer places 100b yuan strain on nation's economy

He suggested that all women should perform regular self-examinations of their breasts, consult their healthcare providers to ensure they are using correct techniques, and talk to their doctors immediately if they notice any abnormalities.

He attaches great importance to early detection, saying awareness is the first step to early detection and improving cancer outcomes.

With few exceptions, early-stage cancers are less lethal and more treatable than late-stage cases, he added.

Cheng Shujun, a cancer specialist in Beijing and an academic at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said China's five-year cancer survival rate, an important indicator to gauge treatment results, stands at 30 percent, far lower than 70 percent in the United States.

Schwartlander said, "Improving early diagnosis and treatment services must continue to be a focus of cancer control efforts, given that two-thirds of cancer cases are not preventable."

For those that are preventable, "improving cancer prevention in China would save many millions of lives every year," he added.

Reducing social and environmental risk factors for cancer and empowering people to make healthy choices are key to combating the disease, according to medical experts.