Cancer is a major health concern in China: every minute, six people are diagnosed with the disease, while five die as a result. In 2012, a staggering 3.1 million Chinese were diagnosed with cancer.

The National Central Cancer Registry tracks incidence and type of cancer diagnosed throughout China. It has compiled its data into a graph to illustrate geographically which type of cancer an average citizen is most likely to develop. For instance, the most common cancers in Shanghai are colorectal, thyroid, and breast cancer.

Lung cancer has a high fatality rate, and is most likely to occur in Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, and Yunnan, the same areas where many of China’s coal mines are concentrated. Exposure to heavy pollution is known to be a significant contributing cause of lung cancer.

No precise location is given for thyroid cancer, and is instead noted to be prominent “everywhere”. Female white-collar workers are most at risk for contracting thyroid cancer.

100,000 Chinese women develop cervical cancer each year, making up a full fifth of the world’s total cases. The areas with the highest rates are in China’s central and northern region: Inner Mongolia, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Hunan, and Jiangxi. Higher instances of cervical cancer in these rural areas are thought to be tied to differences in standards of living, hygiene and education.

The average age of a breast cancer diagnosis in China is 48.7 years, a full ten years earlier than the average age for Western women. Breast cancer remains the leading cause of cancer deaths for Chinese women.

The highest occurrences of gastric cancers in China are in Liaoning, Shandong, Gansu, Jiangsu, and Fujian. Gastric cancers have a high fatality rate because early detection is very difficult: 70 percent of patients are often diagnosed in the mid-stages of the disease.

In the past two years, colorectal cancer diagnoses in Zhejiang, Shanghai, and Jiangsu have surpassed those in Western countries. However, the highest rates of colorectal cancer diagnoses remain in Liaoning, Shandong, Gansu, Jiangsu, and Fujian.

Liver cancer is one of China’s deadliest cancers and is closely linked with alcohol consumption. It is most commonly found in any province bordering the sea, including Zhejiang, Guangxi, Jiangsu, Inner Mongolia, and Jilin among others.

Esophageal cancer is most often found in Henan, Hebei, and Shanxi. It is closely linked with diet.

Chinese doctors stress that poor health and lifestyle choices contribute to all cancers, and therefore  a quality diet and exercise is important regardless of where you live.

Here’s a map of each province of China with their most common cancers. No data was provided for Guangdong or Beijing:

Related:

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• As Air Quality Worsens, Lung Cancer Becomes Leading Cause of Death in Guangzhou
• Cantonese Speakers The Most Susceptible to Nose and Throat Cancer: Report

Photos: Yangtse Evening Report