Chinese doctors have won an award for their new study on the treatment of advanced gastric cancer which they presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Illinois.

The American Society of Clinical Oncology chose the study as this year's recipient of the Excellent Paper award as well as the honor of being named the 2014 Best of ASCO. The award was a first for medical oncologists in China who were leading the study to advance innovative cancer therapy in the country. 

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The study, which was participated in by 32 medical centers across China, focused on the development of Apatinib mesylate tablets for the treatment of advanced gastric cancer. It was led by Shukui Qin, former chairman of the Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology, and Professor Jin Li, the present vice-chairman of CSCO.

Every year, around 952,000 new gastric cancer cases are diagnosed worldwide and 47 percent of those are in China. Gastric cancer is ranked as the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the country, afflicting around 352,300 Chinese people each year. 

Around 60 to 80 percent of those who have the disease are diagnosed when the cancer has reached the late stages, leaving them with limited treatment options. Only 20 percent of those who are diagnosed with gastric cancer survive the disease for five years or more.

A lot of researches on the disease were made in recent years, but developing new drugs for advanced gastric cancer treatment had little success.

The Apatinib mesylate tablets from drug developer Jiangsu Hengrui Medicine Co, Ltd. are now under review for registration and approval for marketing in China.

Each year, thousands of participants in the medical oncology field attend the annual ASCO meeting. This year’s convention was held in Chicago from May 30 until June 3. ASCO is the most influential and authoritative academic group in the field of clinical oncology in the world. The yearly meeting it holds shows the most recent developments in treating cancer.

TagsASCO, American Society of Clinical Oncology, Shukui Qin, Jin Li, Chinese Society of Clinical Oncology