National program to improve lymphoma treatment launched

A national program dedicated to improving the medical treatment capacity and capability of lymphoma, a type of cancer that begins in immune system cells, was established on April 24.

The launch ceremony of the program initiated by the National Health Commission Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center was held in Beijing.

The center said that the program, which is supported by Roche Pharma China, will integrate relevant resources to form a lymphoma specialist alliance consisting of a pathology center, a clinical center, and a whole-process management center.

Through capacity building, specialized talent training, and the construction of a quality control system, the program aims to comprehensively promote the country's overall medical strength in treating the disease and establish a standard, patient-oriented disease diagnosis and treatment path, according to the center.

Yang Aiping, director of the National Health Commission Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center, said that the program, which will include multiple medical disciplines and cover the full span of disease development, will focus on the grassroots level and help medical education in this field achieve better standards in a more systematic manner.

Dozens of experts from across the country were hired to be on the expert team for the program. Ma Jun, director of the Harbin Blood Disease and Tumor Institute of Harbin First Hospital, was appointed the leader of the expert team.

"With the innovations regarding therapies and the coverage of medical insurance policies continuing to grow in recent years, the accessibility and affordability of treatments for lymphoma patients in China have greatly improved. However, there are still various unsatisfied needs from the patients throughout the diagnosis and treatment process. A lot can be done," Ma said.

Lymphoma is a common malignant tumor with relatively high control and recovery rates. The five-year survival rate of such patients is 38.3 percent in China, which is far lower than developed countries.

Experts said that factors, including unclear diagnosis, non-standardized self-care of the patients and not adhering to instructions for regular follow-up treatments, have affected the overall treatment effect and prognosis.