There has been a persistent increase in the number of cancer cases in China which could possibly lead to a dangerous "cancer surge" in the country, according to health officials.

"The rates of cancer, both the number of cases and the rates at which people are dying of cancer, are increasing in China - and that is obviously a cause for very significant concern," said Angela Pratt from the World Health Organization (WHO) in China.

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"That is a huge increase in a relatively short amount of time. I would say it is a critical situation," Pratt added.

Lung cancer tops the list among cancer cases in China.

According to WHO, China's lung cancer mortality rates has now increased to almost 60 per 100,000 a dozen from 50 per 100,000 men in year 2000.

This also coincided with a survey from the Chinese government which showed that diagnosis of lung cancer cases in China increased by sixteen percent for the last two years.

The same survey cited that there was an increase of 60 percent of lung cancer cases in Beijing for the last decade.

Aside from lung cancer, breast cancer is also prevalent among Chinese women.

Pratt attributed the high rate to smoking, unhealthy diet, obesity and toxic air pollution.

'Cancer Hotels'

Meanwhile, the surge of many cancer patients brought the sprouting of some "patient hotels" in China's major cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

The existence of these "cancer hotels" is deemed by medical analysts as one of ad hoc responses to the persistently growing health crisis in China that challenges its unprepared medical system.

In a report by the Associated Press (AP), it was cited that most cancer patients are renting apartments or studio rooms that are near to cancer hospitals, thus the term "cancer hotels" was coined.

Li Xiaohe, 43-year old, is a breast cancer patient who is living in one of these "cancer hotels."  She is renting a room in western Beijing, a block away from the cancer hospital, as she undergoes 84-day program of chemotherapy.

In an interview with AP, Li lamented that she opted to stay in Beijing because the treatment in her rural hometown is quite different from the urban.

"At home, my insurance covers 85 percent of the cost. It will be good if I can even get half of it covered here," Li explained. "But I am doing this for my health. I am looking for the right treatment."

These "cancer hotels" serve as a camp-out among cancer patients who want to live near cancer institutes in the city, the report said. These hotels operate informally and do not include nursing care to the patients.

The "cancer hotels" in China merely make the patients closer to their doctors and to the hospitals where they are being treated.

TagsCancer, cancer hotels, Lung Cancer, WHO