On February 25, a research paper by Professor Ke Yang's research group from the Genetics Research Laboratory of Peking University Cancer Hospital was published online in Lancet's sub-journal, eClinicalMedicine. The study innovatively utilized the medical insurance system and mortality monitoring big data from Huaxian County in Henan Province to establish a standardized process for data cleaning, integration, quality control, analysis, and reporting. It reported, for the first time, the population prevalence rates (morbidity and incidence) and survival rates of major cancers, such as upper gastrointestinal malignancies, in the region. This study provides crucial foundational data for understanding the local burden of malignant tumors and patient prognosis, as well as for establishing and improving cancer prevention and control efforts. It also marks the end of the historical lack of cancer prevalence and survival data in the area.

As the second leading cause of death globally, cancer poses a serious threat to human health. According to the latest data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, China reported 4.57 million new cancer cases (accounting for 23.7% of the global total) and 3 million cancer-related deaths (accounting for 30.2% of the global total). Cancer prevalence at the population level and the survival rate of cancer patients are two important dimensions in cancer monitoring.

Prevalence measures the number of existing cancer cases in a population at a specific point in time, reflecting the overall cancer burden. Survival rate reflects the average outcome of cancer patients' prognosis after diagnosis and treatment, indicating the disease's lethality and the effectiveness of prevention and clinical treatment. Regular monitoring of cancer prevalence and survival provides vital evidence for the precise formulation of cancer prevention and control policies, scientific allocation of medical resources, and evaluation of the effectiveness of cancer prevention and treatment plans.

Globally, cancer prevalence and survival monitoring mainly rely on population-based cancer registry and reporting systems. In China, cancer registration is primarily based on reports from designated medical institutions within "monitoring sentinel areas," currently covering 43% of the country's total population. However, because cancer prevalence and survival monitoring heavily depend on high-standard individualized follow-up of cancer patients' survival status, regular implementation is highly challenging. As a result, cancer prevalence and survival data in China are still mainly published in the form of special research reports and have not yet formed a routine work model.

Huaxian County in Henan Province, located in northern Henan, has a total population of approximately 1.4 million, primarily composed of agricultural residents. The coverage rate of the New Rural Cooperative Medical Scheme (NRCMS) is stable at over 99%. Currently, the region is not included in the national cancer registration system, and the prevalence and survival rates of malignant tumors are unclear.