Cancer awareness should evolve in step with treatment

Cancer remains a prevalent and dreadful disease. According to the Global Cancer Observatory, there were 20 million new cases and 9.7 million deaths from cancer worldwide in 2022. In Hong Kong, cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality, accounting for about a quarter of all deaths locally.

Yet, at least half of all cancers are considered preventable through reducing risk factors and behaviours, as well as implementing evidence-based preventive strategies. Many cancers have a high probability of cure if diagnosed early and treated properly. In this sense, education can allow for the possibilities of early management, including diagnosis and treatment, by equipping students with credible, comprehensible knowledge about cancer.

Cancer literacy changes behaviour. Research suggests relevant literacy significantly correlates with screening participation for breast, cervical and colorectal cancers, independently of other factors. Moreover, today’s therapeutic toolbox is much more diverse than surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. The updated paradigm includes targeted therapies, immunotherapies, cell-based therapies and biomarker-guided precision medicine.

Cancer literacy helps demystify these treatment options, allowing people to navigate care with less fear and more clarity for themselves and their loved ones.

Our experience teaching health and non-health majors in higher education institutions about cancer shows that the impact can extend beyond the classroom. After learning about the molecular and cellular basis of cancer, population screening, the evolving landscape of diagnostics, the development of cancer medicines and the ethical considerations, students share that they are far less vulnerable to misinformation and better prepared to advocate for evidence-based, reliable information in their communities.

For instance, students were able to draw and use an easy-to-understand “cancer city map” to explain the complexity of the tumour micro-environment to an elderly audience without a scientific or medical background. The point is not to turn everyone into a clinician or overcrowd the curriculum with specialist content, but to offer the option to receive general education on cancer – just like the push for greater financial and digital literacy – to empower students in seeking a better, healthier future.

We can start where teaching and learning occur at scale, namely in higher education, with the hope that our young people join the front lines in the defence against cancer.

Dr Daniel X. Zhang, senior lecturer, and Professor Jack Tang, head of diagnostic sciences, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, and Dr William C.S. Cho, director, Hong Kong Precision Oncology Society