City center talks up new theory on lung cancer treatment

Lung cancer patients with ground-glass nodules do not need urgent treatment, China's top cancer agency said on Tuesday.

The theory, based on a study conducted on 620 lung cancer patients at the Shanghai Cancer Center, has received international recognition, medical experts said on Tuesday, which is marked as World No Tobacco Day.

About 70 percent to 95 percent of newly discovered lung cancer cases in China are those featuring ground-glass nodules, due to the promotion of CT (computer tomography) scan.

"After detailed classification and research, we found that the treatment effect on such patients during any time of the window period is the same. The five-year survival is 100 percent," Dr Chen Haiquan from the Shanghai Cancer Center said.

"Such cancer develops very slowly. So doctors can give individualized suggestion to each patient regarding their condition, providing the best timing for the health and benefit of patients, who needn't receive any surgery in a hurry."

In China and across the world, lung cancer is the most prevalent cancer and leading cause of tumor-related death. About 710,000 people die from lung cancer every year in China alone.