Lung cancer has become the number one cancer killer in China. Many lung cancer patients want to go abroad to receive foreign treatment when domestic treatment options are not effective or there is no corresponding treatment option. What are the differences between domestic and foreign technologies for lung cancer treatment? What are the advantages and disadvantages of lung cancer treatment in China? China is more prominent in lung cancer surgery and radiation therapy The minimally invasive technology of Chinese thoracic surgery can proudly announce to the world that it is world class. Because of the abundant patient resources in China, many hospitals perform dozens of lung cancer resections every day, and certain hospitals can even have 80 lung cancer surgeries a day. This is unmatched by the United States, or even any other country. In addition, China’s thoracoscopic technology, single-port thoracoscopic technology, and single-operated-port thoracic technology, including robotic technology, are all very mature technologies. At present, China has 73 da Vinci robotic systems, and nearly 50 hospitals carry out da Vinci robotic surgery, ranking first in the world in terms of annual surgical volume. For radiotherapy technology, the world’s first-class radiotherapy equipment and radiotherapy technology are now available in all major cities in China. Especially in modern metropolises like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, modern medical centers, modern oncology centers, these equipments are fully equipped. Therefore, there is not much difference between China and foreign countries in terms of surgical treatment and radiotherapy for lung cancer, and in turn, China has more advantages. In terms of early detection of lung cancer and development of new drugs for lung cancer, we should be frank about the differences between China and foreign countries. In addition, there is a big gap between China and foreign countries in lung cancer drug treatment.
Especially after the introduction of targeted therapy and immunotherapy, more pharmaceutical companies have invested a lot of money and material resources in targeted therapy and immunotherapy, and many good products are available in the United States. These drugs are rarely or not available in China. Perhaps after a few years, generic or original drugs can enter the Chinese market after the formalities, but this will take at least two to three years, during which many Chinese patients miss the best time for treatment in this area.
So to say that the gap between China and foreign countries, mainly in the new drug research and development. In the future, China on the one hand to catch up with the U.S. R & D speed, research and development of more new drugs to support the domestic pharmaceutical industry, but also should open the door to allow more patients to have the conditions and timely access to new drug treatments.