A global healthcare strategy consulting service was launched in Beijing on Saturday to help patients worldwide access the most suitable hospitals, doctors, and treatment plans. Developed in partnership with top medical experts from China and Japan, the initiative aims to bridge gaps in cancer care by providing faster, customized treatment strategies.

According to Cheng Xiaoyu, deputy general manager and rotating medical director of China's Saint Lucia Consulting (a global medical consulting firm and the program's initiator), missteps and incorrect judgments in early cancer treatment are common among patients. "Many rush into surgery or aggressive therapies without proper evaluation, leading to delayed diagnoses, overtreatment, or missed curative opportunities," she said.

Data from China's National Cancer Center (2024) reveals the country recorded 4.82 million new cancer cases in 2022, with nine patients diagnosed every minute. Lung cancer remains a leading cause of death, necessitating more precise and collaborative approaches.

The service offers 72-hour access to world-leading cancer specialists, including US' National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guideline authors and American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) researchers. Customized treatment plans, executable either in China or abroad, will be offered based on consultant from world experts.

Li Junling, an oncology professor at the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences Cancer Hospital, said that effective treatment requires collaboration across specialties: "Surgery, radiotherapy, pathology, and drug therapy must work together. No single doctor or hospital department can cover the entire process alone."

Suzuki Kenji, a thoracic surgeon at Japan's Juntendo University Hospital, echoed this view: "Cancer treatment must be tailored. Simply removing tumors without considering a patient's long-term quality of life is inadequate."

Thanks to multidisciplinary team (MDT) adoption, China's 3-year cancer survival rate has risen from 58 percent to 66 percent, cutting treatment delays by 50 percent and lowering costs. Japan's 5-year lung cancer survival rate (32.9 percent) leads globally (The Lancet, 2000-2014 data).

Both Li and Suzuki joined Saint Lucia Consulting's international MDT expert panel at the conference. Suzuki said advancements in lung-sparing surgeries have benefited even advanced-stage patients including some up to 90 years old.