BEIJING, Nov. 9 (Xinhua) — A Chinese medical expert has called for better collection of clinical data on neuroendocrine tumor (NEN) to facilitate the prevention and treatment of the rare disease.
With a rough incidence rate of about 4 per 100,000 people in China, the tumor grows slowly but could strike multiple organs, said Zhao Hong, a senior doctor at the Cancer Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences.
There were about 67,600 newly-diagnosed NEN cases in China in 2018. It is estimated that the number of patients in the country may be as high as 300,000, and the figure is rising.
Warning of the rapid growth of cases, Zhao suggested improving the country’s clinical record system.
Current tumor and cancer patients’ data are just estimates based on the information obtained from medical centers for cancer monitoring and registrations, Zhao said, adding that more accurate numbers based on hospital clinical records are needed so that prevention and treatment is better.
The doctor said a better registration system of hospital records will also help improve the treatment of other kinds of tumors and cancer.