Statistics released by the forum indicate there are 300,000 stomach cancer sufferers and 230,000 liver cancer patients in China.

The statistics also show that lung, breast, rectal and liver cancer, along with carcinoma of the stomach are the most common tumors, as the year 2000 alone saw a total of five million people around the world suffering from the five cancers.

Experts said finding a more effective method of treating cancer is the most challenging task for doctors around the world.

In recent years, biotic gene technology has been explored as a new cancer treatment method.

Twenty-eight experts from Asian countries and twelve from western countries, including Australia, Canada and the United States, are expected to announce new research results related to gene technology in the treatment and cure of cancer.

Herceptin, dubbed as the "biotic missile", is the world's first finished pharmaceutical product with the capacity to kill cancer cells through gene control and guide.

Kapil Dhingra, an expert from the American Association for Cancer Research, said Herceptin marks a very important breakthrough in the history of cancer research. It is capable of killing cancer cells without damaging other cells through its precise gene guidance mechanism.

Sun Yan, vice president of the Asian Clinical Oncology Society (SCOS), said gene-related treatment methods will definitely offer more feasible treatment options to cancer patients.

She also said breast cancer is the most threatening disease for women, adding that the rate of incidence is on the rise in China. Herceptin may be able to reduce pain by alleviating the side effects traditionally associated with cancer treatment, she said.

The forum was sponsored by the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche.

(Xinhua News Agency September 21, 2002)