China as ‘Cancer Nation’? 1 in 3 Chinese Will Get Cancer, 400 Million Expected by 2040
China as ‘Cancer Nation’? 1 in 3 Chinese Will Get Cancer, 400 Million Expected by 2040
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I just heard some absolutely shocking news—it’s infuriating! Not long ago, Guangzhou hosted the Sixth Precision Medicine Development Forum. An academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Lin Dongxin, predicted that by 2040, the number of cancer patients in China could skyrocket to 400 million. Think about it—China’s population is about 1.4 billion now. With the birth rate declining every year, it might drop to 1.2 billion by then. That means one in three people could have cancer. And that doesn’t even include chronic illnesses or people with conditions like hypertension, high blood sugar, and high cholesterol. With about 15 years to go until 2040, what will things look like then? I’m 40 years old now, and I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to collect my pension. It’s like people joke online: ‘What’s a pension? I bet on the government to take care of me in retirement, but the government is betting I won’t live that long.’ Thinking about all this—it’s completely shattered my worldview.
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