Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42338923›Full record

ArticleMilitary Medical Research2026

Life expectancy of cancer patients in China.

Chang-Fa Xia, Jing Yang, Jin-Hui Zhou, Yong-Jie Xu, Wan-Qing Chen

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Military Medical Research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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3 · Its place in the literature

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No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Chang-Fa XiaOffice of Cancer Screening, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
Jing YangDepartment of Radiation Oncology, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
Jin-Hui ZhouOffice of Cancer Screening, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
Yong-Jie XuOffice of Cancer Screening, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.
Wan-Qing ChenNational Central Cancer Registry, National Cancer Center/National Clinical Research Center for Cancer/Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100021, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: A cancer diagnosis is usually associated with a substantial loss of life years. However, few studies have quantified life expectancy (LE) and years of life lost (YLL) among cancer patients, particularly in China. This study aims to estimate LE and YLL by cancer type, sex, age at diagnosis, and attained age (i.e., the age a cancer survivor has reached at a given time) for cancer patients in China. Methods: This is a comparative assessment based on population-based cancer registration and death surveillance in China. Data on all-cause deaths, cancer cases, and relative survival in 2021 were obtained from publicly available reports released by the National Cancer Center and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Life tables for the general population were constructed using age-specific all-cause mortality rates, whereas relative survival rates and parameterized long-term excess hazard functions were used to construct life tables for cancer patients. We used the standard period life table method to estimate LE of both the general population and cancer patients, assuming that mortality probabilities remained constant over time. The YLL was the LE difference between cancer patients and the sex- and age-matched general population. Results: For cancer patients diagnosed at the median age of 64 years, the LE is 8.8 years [95% confidence interval (CI) 8.7-9.0], corresponding to a YLL of 9.2 years (95% CI 9.0-9.3). Male patients have an LE and YLL of 6.7 years (95% CI 6.6-6.8) and 9.8 years (95% CI 9.7-9.9), respectively, while females have 11.2 years (95% CI 11.1-11.4) and 8.4 years (95% CI 8.3-8.6). Thyroid cancer had the highest LE [31.9 years (95% CI 31.5-32.0)], while pancreatic cancer had the lowest [2.6 years (95% CI 2.4-2.8)]. Female patients had better LEs than males across 20 cancer types that affect both sexes. Younger patients experienced greater YLL, except in cases of thyroid cancer, oropharyngeal cancer, ovarian cancer, and male bladder cancer. LE gradually increased in patients who survived the first three years; thereafter, the decline depended on attained age, approaching that of the general population. Conclusions: LE of cancer patients in China varied by sex, cancer type, age at diagnosis, and attained age. Cancer patients, healthcare providers, and policymakers may incorporate these estimates into their decision-making.

Indexed as

Life ExpectancyNeoplasmsAdultAgedAged, 80 and overChinaFemaleHumansLife TablesMaleMiddle AgedCancerChinaLife expectancy (LE)Population-basedYears of life lost (YLL)

Identifiers

PMID42338923
PMCPMC13285705

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.