专家和商界领袖认为，由于人口老龄化和政策支持，加上公众意识的不断提高，中国早癌筛查市场将继续扩大，预计国内企业将进一步加强其创新和商业化能力。
New financing events for domestic early cancer screening startups have hit news headlines since the start of the year. [Photo/VCG]
If you ask anyone how to reduce the mortality rate of cancer patients, the answer may vary from person to person. Yet early detection and intervention probably will occur in most people's answers to that question.
如何降低癌症患者的死亡率，对此人们的回答可能有所不同。然而，大多数人的答案可能都包括早期发现和干预。
New financing events for domestic early cancer screening startups have hit news headlines since the start of the year, despite slides in share prices of many listed biotech companies at home and abroad.
尽管国内外许多生物技术上市公司股价下跌，但自今年年初以来，针对国内早癌筛查初创公司的新融资活动占据了新闻头条。
Thanks to population aging and policy support, together with growing public awareness, the early cancer screening market in China will continue to expand, and domestic enterprises are expected to further strengthen their innovation and commercialization capabilities, experts and business leaders said.
专家和商界领袖表示，由于人口老龄化和政策支持，加上公众意识的不断提高，中国早癌筛查市场将继续扩大，预计国内企业将进一步加强其创新和商业化能力。
Shi Lichen, founder of medical consulting firm Beijing Dingchen Consultancy, said cancer is a top killer in China, and boundless opportunities have been presented for early cancer detection industry players because they also target healthy people rather than just cancer patients.
医疗咨询公司北京鼎臣咨询创始人史立臣表示，在中国，癌症是头号杀手，早癌筛查行业的从业者有着无限机会，因为他们瞄准的不仅仅是癌症患者，还有健康人群。
"Chinese authorities have reiterated on various occasions the importance of early detection and intervention for the prevention and control of cancer. The market prospects are very promising," he said.
史立臣称：“中国官方多次强调早期发现和干预对预防和控制癌症的重要性。早癌筛查市场前景十分光明。”
In a new plan to spur the bioeconomy during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), the National Development and Reform Commission said it is necessary to promote deep integration of advanced technologies such as genetic testing and disease prevention, and to carry out early screening programs for major diseases, including tumors.
国家发展改革委对外发布的《“十四五”生物经济发展规划》提出，要推动基因检测等先进技术与疾病预防深度融合，开展肿瘤等重大疾病早期筛查。
A report by early detection information provider Zao Dx said 26 financing events were announced last year in China's early cancer detection industry, among which 15 came at more than 100 million yuan ($14.92 million) each. The combined value of financing reached more than 6.6 billion yuan last year.
早筛网的一份报告称，2021年中国早癌筛查行业宣布了26项融资活动，其中15项融资活动的金额均超过1亿元人民币，2021年融资总额超过66亿元。
Zhou Jun, CEO of Berry Oncology, a leading Chinese company in genetic testing and early screening of tumors, said a root cause for investors' sustained enthusiasm for early cancer screening is that although various innovative therapies have been made available in the market in recent years for cancer, once the disease progresses to the middle and late stages, the benefits from drugs will become very limited, while related expenditures at both the individual level and the society level can be huge.
贝瑞基因首席执行官周珺表示，投资者对早癌筛查行业投资热情持续高涨的一个根本原因是，尽管近年来市场上有各种创新疗法治疗癌症，但一旦癌症发展到中晚期，药物的作用将变得非常有限，而个人和社会层面的相关支出可能会非常巨大。
In particular, the application of liquid biopsy technology based on high-throughput sequencing has greatly increased the probability of the detection and early intervention of cancer, he said.
周珺称，基于高通量测序的液体活检技术的应用大大提高了癌症检测和早期干预的可能性。
"With the commercial application of next-generation sequencing, we can enable alerts for tumors at a very early stage," he said.
他说：“随着下一代测序技术的商业应用，我们可以在肿瘤早期发出警报。”
However, analysts said large-scale rollouts of early cancer screening in China require improvements in not only cancer screening technology and policy support, but also in payments, clinical applications and regulations to spur the commercialization of related products.
然而，分析人士表示，中国大规模开展早癌筛查不仅需要改进癌症筛查技术和政策支持，还需要完善支付、临床应用和监管，以推动相关产品的商业化。
"As domestic players started almost at the same time as their foreign counterparts, their overall competence in developing new solutions is somehow of the same level as foreign enterprises," said Shi of Beijing Dingchen Consultancy.
史立臣表示：“由于国内企业几乎与国外同行同时起步，他们在开发新解决方案方面的总体能力在某种程度上与外国企业相当。”
"Yet the differences will present themselves among the capabilities to commercialize products," Shi said, adding major obstacles Chinese enterprises face for successful commercialization mainly include not only how to improve product efficacy and reduce pricing, but also how to get included in public or commercial medical insurance programs.
“然而，差异表现在产品商业化的能力上，中国企业成功商业化面临的主要障碍不仅包括如何提高产品功效和降低价格，还包括如何加入公共或商业医疗保险计划。”
According to a report by Haitong International Securities Group Ltd, China's early cancer detection market will reach more than 162 billion yuan in value within 10 years.
根据海通国际证券集团有限公司的一份报告，中国早癌筛查市场估值将在10年内超过1620亿元人民币。
A report by VCBeat Research said about 70 percent of Chinese cancer patients are already at the middle-to-late stage of the disease when they seek medical advice for the first time.
动脉网的一份报告显示，约70%的中国癌症患者在首次就诊时已经处于疾病的中晚期。
Zhou, with Berry Oncology, said both central and local Chinese authorities have released guidelines and policies to create better development conditions for the industry. However, more detailed rules for better implementation of those guidelines and policies are expected to help enterprises realize the commercialization of their research and innovations.
周珺称，中央和地方政府都发布了指导方针和政策，为早癌筛查行业创造更好的发展条件。更好地细化落实这些指导方针和政策可以帮助企业实现其研究和创新的商业化。
