Quoting Ministry of Health statistics, the center revealed that 56 out of 100,000 males in Shanghai and 18.2 out of 100,000 local females suffered from lung cancer.

The percentage was "slightly lower than the average level in developed countries, but fairly high compared to cities in developed countries," Li Xinjian, director of the center’s cancer division, told China Daily.

Other cities suffering a high incidence of the fatal disease include Beijing, Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong Province and Hefei, capital of East China's Anhui Province, according to Li.

Local medical experts said that air pollution and smoking were major causes of the disease.

For years, lung cancer has been the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in adults in many countries.

Out of every 100 patients suffering from lung cancer, about 30 will seek medical treatment. Among them, 20 to 25 are operable and only 10 manage to live more than five years after an operation, according to center staff.

Liao Meilin, a medical expert at Shanghai Chest Hospital, noted that, in recent years, cancer patients in Shanghai are getting younger.

Quite a few lung cancer patients were only in their 20s or 30s, said Liao.

More than 80 percent of these young patients did not get the disease detected early enough, missing their best chance of a cure, said Liao.

Despite various treatment alternatives, the chances of survival for lung cancer patients have not improved significantly during the past decade, according to Liao.

Li added that, although it will take a long time to tackle the disease in Shanghai, the city has taken a number of steps to improve its environment in recent years.

Li also urged local people to start taking greater care of their health by stopping smoking.

(China Daily March 15, 2003)