Why is cancer mortality in China far higher than in India, despite both having a population of 1.4 billion? In 2020, India reported only 850,000 cancer deaths, while China had 3 million...

First, we must recognize a painful fact: cancer is actually a form of 'longevity tax.' At the cellular level, the older a person gets, the higher the probability of errors during cell division, which naturally increases the risk of cancer.

In China, the average life expectancy has reached 77 years, giving the vast majority enough time to live to the stage where cells 'rebel due to aging.'

In contrast, India's average life expectancy is only 69 years, and this short gap of 8 years conveniently avoids the 'golden age' for high cancer incidence.

India's population structure is 'young,' which is both an advantage and a barrier to data. The proportion of people aged 65 and older is less than 8%, with an average age of only 27; young people occupy an absolute majority, and their bodily functions have not yet declined, meaning they have not yet reached the age of high cancer incidence.

On the other hand, China is experiencing a rapidly accelerating aging process, with over 20% of the population aged 60 and above; these tens of millions of elderly individuals are precisely the group most favored by cancer.

Moreover, many Indians may die from pneumonia, tuberculosis, diarrhea, and other infectious diseases in their youth before they even get a chance to develop cancer—India's main health threats are bacteria and viruses, while China's are cardiovascular diseases and malignant tumors.

Additionally, the numerical disparity stems from a gap in medical standards; after all, only diagnosed cancer cases are included in the 'cancer death' statistics.

In China, even county and community hospitals are equipped with CT, MRI, and other examination devices, and people's awareness of early cancer screening has been improving year by year.

A comprehensive tumor registration system and hospital diagnosis reports can accurately account for almost every cancer case.

But the situation in India is entirely different; vast rural areas face a significant medical vacuum. Even now, more than half of India's population struggles to access healthcare, with many villages lacking even basic general practitioners, let alone expensive imaging tests.

Countless rural patients may die from unknown causes of pain, with the cause of death often hastily recorded as 'unknown' or 'body failure.'

Data shows that India's cancer cases are underestimated by over 50%; those who have not had the chance to be diagnosed are statistically equivalent to 'non-existent.'

Differences in dietary habits also play a crucial role. Our proud 'earthly smoke and fire' actually quietly raises cancer risk.

China has a massive group of 300 million smokers, and combined with a unique drinking culture, the dual stimulation of alcohol and nicotine places an unbearable burden on the lungs and liver.

Moreover, to pursue flavor, high oil, high salt, preserved foods, and piping hot hotpot have become daily staples for many, resulting in persistently high rates of stomach and esophageal cancers.

In contrast, religious taboos in India inadvertently serve as a 'cancer shield.' In most areas of India, smoking and drinking are considered unclean behaviors, and the strict enforcement of public smoking bans and religious self-discipline directly cuts off two major sources of carcinogens.

Although Indian men have the bad habit of chewing tobacco, leading to a high incidence of oral cancer, this method does not harm the lungs, making lung cancer statistics appear relatively favorable.

Additionally, Indians cannot live without curry, which contains curcumin that has anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects, along with 40% of the population being long-term vegetarians; the habit of dining separately can also cut off the transmission of Helicobacter pylori, forming a natural advantage in preventing gastrointestinal cancers.

Finally, we must face the fundamental differences in environmental pollution. Many believe that India's dirtiness and chaos lead to high cancer incidence, but in fact, that is biological pollution; garbage and excrement more often cause cholera, parasitic diseases, and other infectious diseases.

In contrast, China has endured the consequences of chemical pollution after decades of rapid industrialization.

The previous smog, chemical particles in industrial waste gas, and PM2.5 and heavy metal residues left by highly polluting industries are all long-term carcinogenic factors. These 'modern side effects' have not yet been fully experienced by agricultural India.

In fact, we need not envy India's seemingly 'beautiful' cancer statistics. It is not because their environment is healthier, but because many people die before reaching the age of cancer, due to poor medical conditions that obscure countless cancer cases, and because they have not yet experienced the chemical pollution brought by industrialization.

While the figure of 3 million in China certainly prompts us to reflect on dietary and environmental issues, from another perspective, it also reflects the longevity of the population, the improvement of medical diagnostic capabilities, and the development of industrialization.

We have long passed the stage of struggling for survival; the current challenge is how to learn to age more healthily in a life of abundance.