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Around 3.8 million people were diagnosed with cancer in China in 2014, according to data released by the Chinese Journal of Oncology, which shows that over 10,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every day.

Lung cancer tops the list in terms of number with 781,000 cases a year, followed by gastric cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer and breast cancer. Lung cancer ranks first for men and breast cancer ranks first for women.

Lung cancer may be related to the high smoking prevalence among men in China. However,  the smoking rate of Chinese women is lower than in  European and American countries while female lung cancer morbidity in China is higher, which can be attributed to second-hand smoke, cooking fumes, fuel smoke and air pollution. Additionally, firewood, as a major cooking fuel in the underdeveloped western China, also increases the chance of lung cancer in women.