China's cancer registries cover only one-third of the population

China's current cancer-monitoring system covers only about 30% of the population, Chinese media company Caixin reported, citing a study in the latest issue of the Lancet Oncology.

A team of researchers from the National Cancer Center reviewed the development of the country's cancer registries since the first one was established in 1959.

The group found that the number of registries grew from 43 in 2008, when the government set up the national cancer registration and follow-up program, to 574 today, but this covers only 438 million people, less than one-third of China's 1.4 billion people.

Cancer registries in the U.S., by comparison, cover 96% of the population and in the U.K., Australia, and South Korea cover almost 100%.