U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes

of Health

National Cancer Institute

Office Of China 

Cancer Programs

About OCCP

The Office of China Cancer Programs 

(OCCP) of the National Cancer Institute 

(NCI) promotes, supports, and informs the 

development of cooperative research projects 

between U.S. and Chinese scientists, research 

teams, and institutions to accelerate progress 

against cancer.

Now is a unique time for the NCI to build 

cooperation in China, as the Chinese 

Government has made substantial investments 

in several areas of science and technology, 

and many Chinese scientists who have trained 

in the United States are returning to China to 

assume leadership positions in key research 

institutions. This provides the opportunity 

both to work with world-class scientists and 

to participate in the development of China’s 

biomedical research enterprise. 

Mission

OCCP promotes, supports, and informs 

the development of cooperative research 

projects between U.S. and Chinese scientists, 

research teams, and institutions to accelerate 

progress against cancer. OCCP works with the 

Fogarty International Center of the National 

Institutes of Health (NIH) and NCI Offices 

and Divisions to increase awareness of the 

cancer research enterprise in China, and to 

build sustainable partnerships in the areas of 

basic, translational, and clinical research and 

research training.

OCCP Roles

OCCP has three primary functions:

New Program Development 

•  Assists the NCI leadership in identifying, 

prioritizing, and implementing new cancer 

research activities in China 

•  Convenes workshops and conferences of 

U.S. and Chinese experts in scientific 

areas of high priority and mutual interest 

to build new collaboration in research and 

research training

•  Develops new guidelines, policies, 

resources, and mechanisms to support 

cooperation

Outreach

•  Disseminates information about NCI 

priorities, plans, programs, policies, and 

initiatives to biomedical research leaders 

in China

•  Represents the NCI in China

Facilitation

•  Identifies important cancer research 

initiatives in China 

•  Identifies opportunities for collaboration in 

cancer research between the United States 

and China

•  Supports and enables scientific activities 

for key NCI and NIH staff visiting China
Cancer Burden in China

Each year, approximately 2.2 million Chinese 

citizens are diagnosed with cancer and 

1.6 million die from the disease.1 A 2008 

national mortality survey estimated that 

cancer accounts for 25% of deaths in urban 

areas of China and 21% of deaths in rural 

areas. The growing burden of cancer in China 

is attributable to several factors, including 

an aging population, dietary changes, 

environmental hazards, certain infectious 

diseases associated with cancer, and smoking. 

As in the United States, lung cancer is the 

most common cause of cancer-related death 

in China, but liver, stomach, and esophageal 

cancers are the next most deadly cancers in 

China as contrasted with breast, prostate, and 

colon cancer in the United States.2

Cancer Research in China

1 Derived from International Agency for Research on Cancer, GLOBOCAN 2002 database.

2 GLOBOCAN 2002 combined data for males and females.

Achievements to Date

In January 1979, U.S. President Jimmy 

Carter and China’s leader Deng Xiaoping 

signed the U.S.–China Agreement on Science 

and Technology, initiating government-togovernment research and exchange programs 

that continue to this day. Later that year, 

the Director of the NCI visited the Chinese 

Academy of Medical Sciences (CAMS) to 

establish a framework for cancer research 

collaboration between the United States 

and China. 

Since that time, NCI Intramural and NCIsupported extramural researchers have 

worked with several top institutions in China 

on collaborative efforts that have provided 

unique opportunities to understand cancer 

disease mechanisms and quantify risk factors 

by providing access to:

•  Groups that are afflicted with cancers more 

common in China than in the United States 

•  Populations that have been exposed to 

chemical and/or infectious agents that 

increase cancer risk

•  Cohorts with unique dietary habits that may 

affect susceptibility to cancer

Research

NCI-supported researchers work with many 

institutions in China including the Chinese 

Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 

Chinese Academy of Sciences, CAMS, 

and many universities. These research 

collaborations have resulted in several 

outstanding achievements, including:

•  Informing the development of new 

regulations to lower benzene occupational 

exposure in China and affecting the risk 

assessment process and regulatory action 

for benzene exposures in the U.S. based 

on studies of benzene exposure in Chinese 

factories.
•  Contributing to the International Agency 

for Research on Cancer designation of 

household combustion of “smoky coal” as a 

human carcinogen.

•  Identifying cancer prevention strategies for 

esophageal and gastric cancers.

•  Investigating tobacco use prevention 

programs in China. 

•  Evaluating traditional Chinese medicine 

approaches, such as acupuncture and 

herbal formulas, for decreasing side effects 

associated with cancer, and investigating 

botanicals with anti-cancer properties.

•  Conducting studies about the role 

of environmental exposures and p53 

mutations in liver carcinogenesis.

Training

Since passage of the National Cancer Act of 

1971, NCI has taken seriously its statutory 

mandate to support the training of foreign 

scientists in the United States. In FY 2008, 

the institute welcomed 926 visiting scientists 

from 84 countries who trained as fellows in 

NCI’s laboratories and clinics or took intensive 

summer courses. China currently sends the 

most visiting scientists to NCI each year. Many 

of these Chinese scientists that trained in the 

United States return to leadership positions 

in China. This exchange strengthens the 

relationship between our two countries—

facilitating communication and mutual 

understanding. The connections formed 

among U.S. and Chinese colleagues create 

additional opportunities for collaboration.

Developing New Partnerships in China

There are several approaches to creating 

new research partnerships in China. Many 

projects evolve from discussions between 

individual Chinese and American scientists 

at international scientific meetings, between 

researchers who have trained in the 

United States and their former mentors, or 

among U.S. and Chinese scientists who work 

together to organize scientific workshops. In 

recent years, Chinese and foreign scientists 

have launched joint research institutes co-led 

by Chinese and international directors. OCCP 

is developing several key cancer research 

contacts in China and provides information 

to NCI-supported scientists about possible 

partnership opportunities.

U.S. and Chinese funding agencies maintain 

several funding programs to support 

international research collaboration. In 

addition, international funding agencies 

are increasingly working together to issue 

joint calls for proposals in scientific areas of 

common interest. For more information about 

specific funding opportunities please see 

http://occp.cancer.gov.
Future Opportunities for Research Partnerships in China

China’s investment in science and technology 

has increased rapidly in the past decade and 

accounts for an estimated 1.5% of its GDP 

in 2010. This growth provides a tremendous 

opportunity for NCI to expand collaborations 

with China. In addition, researchers in the 

United States and China share several 

common cancer research priorities both in 

scientific areas addressed through previous 

collaborations and in several new areas 

surrounding the development of the future of 

personalized cancer medicine. NCI is working 

to support U.S.-based principal investigators 

and institutions to create new research 

partnerships with Chinese scientists in several 

key areas of mutual interest, including:

Biobanking

Working towards common technical, 

operational, and ethical principles for 

biobanking on an international basis.

Cancer Genomics

Studying rare cancers and investigating 

genetic differences between geographicallydiverse populations that may affect cancer 

risk, progression, outcome, and/or drug 

response.

Computational Biology 

and Informatics

Developing innovative approaches to analyze 

and integrate data generated from large-scale 

cancer genomics efforts.

Cancer Nanobiology and 

Nanomedicine

Advancing research progress in use of 

nanomaterials for oncology applications, 

pre-clinical research, and safety and 

standardization of nanomaterials.

Clinical Research

Accelerating patient enrollment for cancer 

clinical trials.

Environmental Pollutants and Cancer

Exploring the various differences in 

environmental exposures between the 

United States and China. 

NCI is employing a phased approach to 

support U.S.-based scientists and institutions 

to expand activities with top researchers in 

China in these and other areas by 

•  Completing due diligence, feasibility 

assessment, and pilot project design

•  Launching pilot projects

•  Evaluating these efforts to develop mature 

collaborative scientific programs
For More Information

If you have any questions or need more 

information about cancer research 

collaborations between NCI and 

scientists in China, contact OCCP at the 

e-mail address and phone number below.

Please include your e-mail address and 

telephone number.

Julie A. Schneider, Ph.D.

Program Director, 

Office of China Cancer Programs

U.S. National Cancer Institute

Based at the U.S. Embassy, Beijing, China

Phone: 86-10-8531-3986

E-mail: schneidj@mail.nih.gov

Web: http://occp.cancer.gov
NIH Publication No. 10-7560

Printed August 2010