Having cancer = pronounced death? Many people believe that cancer is an incurable disease and that having cancer is equivalent to declaring a person dead. Some celebrities have passed away from cancer one after another, which has increased the public’s concern. Cancer is not a terminal disease, but a chronic disease. There is a saying in the cancer research community “3 1/3”, which means that more than 1/3 of cancers can be prevented, 1/3 of cancers (in fact, it is close to half now, and it has increased to 70% in the United States) can be prolonged and cured through treatment, and 1/3 of cancers can be treated to reduce symptoms and alleviate symptoms. The “Therefore, cancer is not incurable and not as scary as it is thought to be.” Take the 5-year cure rate as an example, for example, the cure rate of thyroid cancer, colorectal cancer, breast cancer and prostate cancer is very high, and it does not affect normal life after cure. Why do so many people get cancer when the living standard has improved? People often have questions: Why do some people who seem to have a regular daily routine unexpectedly get cancer, while some people smoke until they are 80 years old without cancer? How far is cancer from normal people? Is the occurrence of cancer attributed to genetics, environmental pollution or psychological factors? Experts believe that cancer is a strong individual factor and each person’s cancer is different, so individualized prevention and treatment are emphasized. The improvement of living standard does not reduce the occurrence of cancer. The occurrence of cancer is related to many factors: Firstly, the average life expectancy in the country has increased, and the incidence of cancer is also increasing, “Cancer is a natural occurrence of an organism to a certain time. So cancer is worldwide, a natural product that occurs universally in living organisms on earth. For example, as we age, the incidence of prostate cancer is 50% in men over 65 years old, meaning that 1 out of 2 elderly men will develop the disease.” The second part of cancer comes from a family history. For example, the “local cancer” in Guangdong Province is nasopharyngeal cancer, and even after several generations of immigrants to other countries or regions, the descendants of expatriates are still susceptible to nasopharyngeal cancer, in addition, for example, the risk of breast cancer of American actress Angelina Jolie comes from the family genes. The third is related to factors such as environmental pollution and personal habits, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and the cumulative effect of dietary and environmental factors such as water pollution and crop pollution. “But the effect of the environment on the occurrence of cancer is not a one-day or two-day effect, but a long-term process, and its association is also a consideration of the whole, not a necessity for each individual.” The fourth is a cause that cannot be explained by current science. According to Wang Yuan Dong, among the types of cancer, about 65% belong to cancers of the digestive tract, such as cancers of the oral cavity, stomach and intestines; 25% are cancers of the respiratory tract, such as lung cancer; 5% come from heredity; and 5% of cancers have no known cause at present. Active treatment, is it effective or not? On WeChat and other social media, there are more reprinted statements about not going for treatment for cancer. In Japan, there is even a book dedicated to arguing that cancer does not need to be treated by doctors, but can be cured by relying on one’s own intention. In reality, there are also patients who believe that cancer treatment does not reduce the probability of death, and the more they treat their bodies, the more they can’t take it, so they might as well not spend this money since they don’t have much time anyway. It is a very wrong view that “cancer should not be treated”. First of all, 1/3 of cancers can be cured, so why not treat early cancers? WHO advocates that cancer treatment can benefit the patient, even if it is not curable, the patient can have a good quality of life during his lifetime, and it is a kind of foolishness to ‘cure’ by will alone without scientific treatment. However, it is undeniable that the objective reality does exist that some hospitals are over-medicating. In fact, the Chinese Anti-Cancer Society, the Chinese Clinical Society of Oncology and other societies and organizations have long had clinical guidelines for single disease, which can reduce the over-medication in the clinic. However, it must also be admitted that the threshold of domestic tumor treatment is very low at present, and many unregulated practices have resulted in very poor treatment results. For example, the cure rate of lung cancer in China is only about 10%, while it is more than 30% in foreign countries; 60%-70% for colon cancer in foreign countries (only 30% in China); 60%-70% for breast cancer in foreign countries, but only 40% in China. In response to the embarrassing image of “as long as you do not die, chemotherapy is not only”. Wang Yuandong said that overall, it is definitely unnecessary, but for individuals, they need to follow the domestic and international single disease guidelines to actively treat and do individualized treatment, and individualized treatment is basically correct under multidisciplinary consultation. Do we rely on doctors? Or do we rely on patients themselves? Should we rely on doctors to give us a plan or rely on patients’ own will power to treat cancer? According to experts, it is essential to rely on doctors’ correct diagnosis first, and then treatment according to the disease guidelines. The important role of willpower is undeniable. There is a saying that 70% of patients die of fright, and the course of the disease cannot be so short in terms of the development of disease transitions. It is caused by the patient’s psychological overload, mental breakdown, etc. Whether the family conceals the patient’s true condition or chases the doctor to ask how long he or she will live, it is actually meaningless. The role of the doctor is to adopt the correct treatment plan based on the staging of the individual patient at the time of the visit, to alleviate the patient’s suffering and to achieve a treatment that maximizes the patient’s benefit. It is important that patients participate in their treatment by adjusting their mental state, diet, and engaging in active exercise. Clinically, it is often when the patient’s mindset is set right and his thoughts are optimistic, coupled with scientific and standardized treatment, that the patient’s condition is stabilized or his life is prolonged and his quality of life is ensured. Prescriptions and secret recipes? To believe or not to believe? In the face of cancer, some patients and their family members often spend a lot of money to buy the so-called “secret prescriptions”, and some even believe in the folk saying of “fight poison with poison” and use the medicine privately. In addition, some patients think that surgery and radiotherapy are too damaging, while some prescriptions are Chinese medicine, which they think is “non-toxic” and hope to cure cancer by using Chinese medicine only. From the scientific point of view, these so-called “secret prescriptions” should be firmly opposed, which is a very irresponsible and even money-making practice. “Some ‘prescriptions’ can indeed bluff some people, for example, some so-called ‘masters’ give patients with mannitol (a laxative) to treat cancer, and individual patients feel very relaxed after using it. That is actually the patient’s ‘intention’ problem.” “Cancer is not a poison, but a human being is a living organism that can repair damaged cells by itself. The reason why cancer appears is because the new cell division process has changed its shape. You cannot rely on ‘poison’ to attack cancer.” He said. He reminded that TCM has a unique role in improving the immune system and “supporting the righteousness”, but patients should not expect too much from TCM alone in treating tumors, and it is recommended that patients develop an individualized treatment plan that best suits them under the guidance of their doctors. The choice of surgery or radiotherapy has toxic side effects, but it is still an effective treatment after all.