A series of new cancer treatment guidelines have been composed in China, which suit local needs better, according to the expert behind the guidelines.

Though Europe and the United States have already wrote their own version of guidelines, they don't always work for patients in China, said Fan Daiming, President of Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (CACA), during an exclusive interview with CGTN.

"As everybody knows, never copy foreign guidelines blindly or mechanically," Fan told CGTN. "The treatment of the same cancer should have a different focus in different countries, and not all guidelines suit Chinese condition."

CACA mobilized over 13,000 leading experts to compose the "CACA Guidelines for Holistic Integrative Management of Cancer" from 2022 to 2023. The guidelines cover 97 percent of China's tumor disease spectrum, Fan said.

The CACA guidelines cover all aspects of cancer management including but not limited to prevention, screening, diagnosis, treatment, assessment, support and control.

Fan said CACA's guidelines will form a triad with NCCN, the guidelines of the U.S., and ESMO, the guideline of Europe.

"The three guidelines will complement each other's strengths and drive side by side," he said.

Domestic and international promotions

In addition to composing the guidelines, CACA also put efforts to promote the use of them among Chinese doctors. They have organized a tour lecture with a total of 100 events held across China.

More than 600 experts "toured a total distance of more than 135,000 kilometers" in order to promote the guidelines, Fan told CGTN.

CACA also promoted the guidelines outside of China. They have translated the guidelines into English and more languages will be made available in the future.

Fan recommended the guidelines while attending the events with his U.S., European, Australian, Latin American and African counterparts. More than 30 countries have reviewed the guidelines.

Fan also sees the international promotion of the guidelines as an example of China's rising cultural confidence.

"We must admit that for a long time in China's modern medical history, there was a lack of confidence," he told CGTN. But during the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Chinese health community resorted to a treasure of ancient Chinese science – traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which "played an indispensable role" in the treatment and rehabilitation of patients, Fan said.

"CACA guideline was developed in China and is now going international," he added.