A new report estimates that China had 4.3 million new cancer cases and more than 2.8 million cancer deaths in 2015, with lung cancer being the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer deaths in China. With the increase in cancer incidence and mortality, cancer is not only the leading cause of death in China, but also a huge public health problem. Previously, based on limited data since the 1990s or based on a specific year, estimates of cancer incidence and mortality in China were only a small fraction of the total population (1.37 billion) compared to the large population of China. Recently, in order to obtain more reliable data, the National Central Cancer Registry of China (NCCR), a government organization under the Department of Disease Control of the Ministry of Health of China for cancer surveillance, collects cancer registry data from numerous local population cancer registries each year, and subsequently analyzes and publishes the results. The results are then analyzed and published to provide useful information for the development of anti-cancer policies, program evaluation and etiology research. In this new report, a research team led by Chen Wanqing, director of the National Cancer Center of China, released the results of China’s 2015 cancer statistics based on these more reliable data. The relevant results were published online on January 25, 2016 in the journal CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. The key findings are shown below: (1) China is expected to have approximately 4,292,000 new invasive cancer cases diagnosed in 2015, which is equivalent to an average of nearly 12,000 new cancer cases diagnosed per day. (2) Among men, the five most common cancers are lung, stomach, esophagus, liver and colorectal cancers, which together account for approximately two-thirds of all cancer cases. (3) Among women, the most common cancers are breast cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer and esophageal cancer, which together account for nearly 60% of all cancer cases, with breast cancer cases alone expected to account for 15% of all new cancer cases among Chinese women. (4) It is estimated that in 2015, approximately 2,814,000 Chinese died of cancer, which equates to an average of more than 7,500 cancer-related deaths per day. (5) The top 5 causes of cancer deaths among Chinese men and women are lung, stomach, liver, esophageal, and colorectal cancers, accounting for approximately three quarters of all cancer deaths. (6) Similar to cancer incidence, the mortality rate for all cancer cases was higher for men than for women (165.9/100,000 for men and 88.8/100,000 for women), and was higher in rural areas than in urban areas. (7) Grouping all cancers together, the incidence of cancer remained stable in males between 2000 and 2011, while it increased significantly in females (21.1% per year). (8) In contrast, since 2006, cancer mortality rates have declined significantly for both men and women, with a 21.4% annual decline for men and a 21.1% annual decline for women. (9) Despite this positive trend, cancer deaths have increased substantially (by 73.8%) during this period due to population aging and growth. (10) By reducing the prevalence of risk factors while increasing the efficiency of clinical care, especially for those living in rural areas and belonging to vulnerable groups, many cancer occurrences and most cancer deaths in China could be prevented. (11) The largest contributor to these avoidable cancer deaths in China is chronic infection, which is estimated to cause 29% of cancer deaths, most of which are gastric cancer caused by chronic H. pylori infection, liver cancer caused by chronic HBV and HCV infection, and cervical cancer caused by chronic HPV infection. (12) In China, smoking causes about a quarter of all cancer deaths; in 2010, more than half of Chinese adult men still smoked, and rates of smoking among adolescents and young adults are still rising. (13) Outdoor air pollution in China, considered one of the most polluted in the world, and indoor air pollution from the use of coal and other biomass fuels for heating and cooking, as well as contamination of soil and drinking water, mean that the Chinese population is still exposed to many environmental carcinogens.