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0Erinome: Hello dear friends! Welcome to today’s podcast. Today, we’re going to talk about something many people are scared of—cancer. You know, people often feel really afraid when they hear about cancer, but did you know it’s not a death sentence? It’s more like high blood pressure or diabetes—a chronic disease that can be prevented and treated.
Enceladus: Oh right! I’ve heard that too, but why do people still fear cancer so much?
Erinome: Dr. Du Lingbin, a cancer expert from Zhejiang, says the key is people don’t know enough about it. Like, they don’t understand early screening, or how to prevent and treat it. So they often miss the best time to act.
Enceladus: Wow, that makes sense. So what’s Zhejiang doing about this?
Erinome: They’ve been doing a cancer prevention科普行动 (kēpǔ xíngdòng, popular science campaign) for four years! Dr. Du says they use “double engines”—screening and科普 (kēpǔ, popular science)—to give people the power to control cancer.
Enceladus: That sounds great! She also talked about “three accounts” people should know early, right? What are they?
Erinome: Yeah! The first is the “economic account.” Let’s take colorectal cancer as an example. It takes 10-15 years for a small growth to become cancer. If you get a colonoscopy early and remove it, it costs about 10,000 yuan and you’re cured!
Enceladus: Oh, that’s manageable. But what if you wait?
Erinome: Oh no! If you wait until you have bleeding or stomach pain, it might be mid or late stage. Then you need surgery, chemo, radiation… costs could be tens of thousands, even over 100,000 yuan. And the treatment效果 (xiàoguǒ, effect) is much worse.
Enceladus: Sad… What about the second account?
Erinome: The “time account”—about quality of life. Take lung cancer. Early lung cancer found by low-dose CT can be cured with a small surgery. Stage I patients have a 92% 5-year survival rate! But if it’s late stage? The 5-year survival rate is less than 10%.
Enceladus: Oh wow, that’s a big difference! So “three early principles”—early find, early diagnose, early treat—are super important.
Erinome: Exactly! Dr. Du says that means simpler treatment, less harm, and more hope to get better.
Enceladus: And the third account? The family account, right?
Erinome: Yes! Cancer affects the whole family. If someone gets cancer, the family’s routine breaks. Family members need to take care of them, and there’s both mental stress and money pressure. So the three early principles are like insurance for the family.
Enceladus: That’s so true. She also mentioned “family属性 (shǔxìng, attributes)” for screening. What does that mean?
Erinome: Oh, if one family member has cancer, others should get screened too—like they’re high-risk. For example, 幽门螺杆菌 (yōumén luógǎnjūn, H. pylori) causes stomach cancer, and families sharing meals can pass it. Smoking and secondhand smoke are bad for lung cancer, so family members share that risk.
Enceladus: What about genetics?
Erinome: Yeah! Some cancers run in families. Like breast cancer—if your mom or sister had it before 50, your risk starts 6.43 years earlier than others. Colorectal cancer too. So family history matters!
Enceladus: So screening is really important. How’s Zhejiang doing with that?
Erinome: They’re the best in China! Since 2020, they’ve offered free colorectal cancer screening to over 10 million people. 56.6% joined, and 615,000 people with positive tests got colonoscopies. They found 6,210 early cancers! And people there aren’t scared of colonoscopies now—46% go when called, way higher than the national 20%.
Enceladus: That’s amazing! How did they make people accept screening?
Erinome: They did “double engines”—screening plus科普 (kēpǔ). They have a “Zhejiang model” now! Online, they made a cartoon character “抗瘤君 (Kàngliú Jūn, Anti-Cancer Guy)” to make科普 fun. They built China’s first cancer科普数字馆 (shùzì guǎn, digital museum) and used AI for smart科普 screens. They also have shows with doctors explaining in simple language.
Enceladus: Oh cool! What about offline?
Erinome: They have science fairs and competitions for doctors. In 2024, Zhejiang Cancer Hospital added 23 doctor科普 accounts—one has 377,000 followers! They also publish “Core Cancer Prevention Knowledge” every year, like “Ten Don’ts to Avoid Cancer” this year.
Enceladus: That’s why people there know more—their cancer knowledge rate is 71.3%, higher than the national 70%!
Erinome: Yep! But Dr. Du says they want to reach 80% by 2030. So they’ll make better digital museums, pocket books, and科普 bases.
Enceladus: Now, let’s talk about some rumors Dr. Du cleared up. First: “A fancy expensive体检套餐 (tǐjiǎn tàocān, check-up package) can find all cancers.” Is that true?
Erinome: No! Dr. Du says it’s not about price. For lung cancer, low-dose CT is best. For colorectal, a问卷, stool test, and colonoscopy work. They’re cheap and effective. No need for “fancy” packages!
Enceladus: Second rumor: “Dripping blood can test all cancers.”
