Subnational situation and public awareness of cancer control in China

Significant progress has been made in cancer control in China over the past decades, but one of the crucial issues remains the low proportions of early-stage diseases among the leading cancers. Subnational cancer control in China has diverse and specific features, especially in rural areas, where needs support to improve screening accessibility and medical intervention quality. Using cancer registry data from Yibin for a subnational observational study, urban-rural disparities in cancer incidence, mortality, and mortality indexes were analyzed. The crude incidence of all-site cancers was higher in urban districts. The crude mortality of all-site cancers was comparable between urban and rural areas, but the mortality index of all-site cancers was higher in rural areas. Awareness of cancer control both among public healthcare providers and the public should be enhanced to improve the early detection of cancers. In particular, more facilitated medical education and public health education are needed to improve domestic awareness of cancer control and increase the public awareness rate of core knowledge on cancer control. Massive and opportunistic screening and surveillance of high-risk subpopulations require more comprehensive encouragement and greater compliance. Therefore, increasing the detection rate of early-stage cancers is of paramount importance to substantially improve cancer survival rates in China.