Photographer Wang Gangfeng looks at his shots featuring the optimism and courage of lung cancer patients, which went on show yesterday at Shanghai Art Museum to commemorate the World Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November. The exhibition will tour six other cities.

About 87 percent of people who die of lung cancer either smoke or suffer passive smoking, medical experts told a meeting yesterday to launch World Lung Cancer Awareness Month in November.

There are 350 million smokers in China, experts from the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association said. Some 600,000 people die each year of lung cancer.

Public awareness of the dangers of smoking, government support to ban smoking in public venues and new medicines are all effective in preventing and controlling lung cancer, the association said.

Next month, the association will cooperate with Shanghai Roche Pharmaceuticals to launch free consultations in seven cities, including Shanghai, to promote knowledge of lung cancer, ways to quit smoking and information on new medicines to treat lung cancer.

A picture exhibition portraying the lives of seven lung cancer patients will also tour the cities to encourage patients to fight the disease.

Experts said quitting smoking is the most important step to control lung cancer.

"Smoking is a long-term nicotine addiction. About 90 to 95 percent of smokers fail in quitting cigarettes if they don't receive professional help," said Dr Xiao Dan, director of Beijing Respiratory Disease Research Institute's epidemic office. "Proper guidance from doctors and effective medication like nicotine replacement therapy can help people stop smoking gradually and successfully. Such therapies are recommended by the World Health Organization."

Smoking can lead to many syndromes like heart disease, lung disease and gastric problems, and is a leading cause of cancer.

(Shanghai Daily October 31, 2007)