Editor's Note: The Pujiang Prostate Cancer Academic Conference was recently held in Shanghai. Under the theme “Standardization, Precision, Chinese Innovation, and Global Collaboration,” the conference provided a high-level platform for academic exchange, focusing on key topics including early screening and precision diagnosis of prostate cancer, optimization of local treatment strategies, innovation in advanced disease management, and the development of comprehensive care systems. By fostering deeper integration between clinical practice and cutting-edge research, the conference aimed to further advance the standard of prostate cancer care in China.During the conference, Oncology Frontier – UroStream invited Professor Benkang Shi, Department of Urology, Qilu Hospital of Shandong University, to discuss the academic highlights of the meeting, the current state of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment in China, and future directions for development.
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Oncology Frontier – UroStream: What key messages did this conference convey regarding the development of China’s prostate cancer care system? In particular, what is its significance for standardizing treatment and building evidence based on the Chinese population?
Professor Benkang Shi: This conference was a high-level national academic meeting dedicated specifically to prostate cancer. Its central themes can be summarized in two words: standardization and innovation.
In recent years, the incidence of prostate cancer in China has risen significantly, with a particularly rapid increase, driven in part by the accelerating aging of the population and changes in dietary patterns. This trend deserves close attention.
Most of the diagnostic and treatment frameworks currently used in clinical practice in China are derived from Western guidelines and treatment protocols, particularly those developed in Europe and the United States. However, it is important to recognize that Eastern and Western populations differ in genetic background, disease characteristics, and clinical presentation. In China, in particular, limited public awareness of prostate cancer means that many patients are already diagnosed with locally advanced or advanced disease at their initial presentation.
This situation places greater demands on treatment strategies: we must ensure standardized diagnosis and treatment while also taking individual patient characteristics and safety into account.
Therefore, this conference emphasized the need to develop China’s own clinical research system and generate diagnostic evidence and treatment strategies that better reflect the characteristics of the Chinese population. This would not only benefit patients in China but could also provide a reference for developing countries with similar population characteristics.
Building on this foundation, the conference further highlighted the importance of precision diagnosis and treatment, as well as innovation. The broader significance lies in helping China’s prostate cancer care evolve from following international advances to working alongside—and potentially leading—global progress, while continuously improving the overall standard of care.
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Oncology Frontier – UroStream: The incidence of prostate cancer in China has continued to rise in recent years, while the proportion of patients diagnosed with advanced disease remains relatively high. In your view, what is the greatest challenge facing prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment in China today?
Professor Benkang Shi: The greatest challenge is that the proportion of patients diagnosed at an early stage remains relatively low.
The proportion of patients with early-stage prostate cancer in China is still relatively small. Consequently, the overall mortality rate remains higher than that in Europe and the United States. This also presents a practical challenge to achieving the goals of the Healthy China 2030 initiative.
Improving this situation requires coordinated efforts at three levels.
First, public education. We need to help more people develop an accurate understanding of prostate cancer. Because benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer can present with similar symptoms, many patients simply attribute urinary symptoms to aging or prostate enlargement, which can delay medical consultation. Raising public awareness of the disease is therefore essential.
Second, establishing an early screening system. The medical community is already actively promoting PSA screening and related initiatives. However, achieving large-scale, systematic screening will require support and coordination at the government level. For example, implementing standardized PSA testing among men aged 55 and older could help increase the rate of early diagnosis.
Third, developing a collaborative mechanism involving multiple stakeholders. Going forward, healthcare institutions, government departments, and society as a whole will need to work together. Through sustained efforts in screening and health management, we can gradually increase the proportion of patients diagnosed at an early stage, reduce the proportion of patients presenting with advanced disease, and improve overall outcomes.
As China’s overall level of development continues to rise and public health awareness grows, we have reason to believe that early diagnosis rates for prostate cancer will gradually improve, while the proportion of patients diagnosed with advanced disease will decline substantially.
Professor Benkang Shi
