3 Cancer Researchers in China Diagnosed with Cancer

[Nairaland]

BOOK INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS TICKETS LOCAL FLIGHTS HOTELS BOOKINGS WORLDWIDE AND MORE AT CHEAPEST RATE EVER! CLICK HERE TO BOOK YOUR FLIGHT AND RECEIVE YOUR FLIGHT TICKET INSTANTLY

The story of three young researchers being simultaneously diagnosed with cancer while working at the same oncology lab has triggered an intense debate and speculation on social media in China. Netizens have been increasingly suspicious about the three physicians at the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital including two breast surgeons and one visiting scholar, who were diagnosed with cancer in 2023 after studying and working at the Shu Hua Breast Cancer Center lab in Guangzhou, Guangdong province.

The news originated from widely shared screenshots of a WeChat chat history, showing that one of the physicians diagnosed with cancer had been removed from the researchers’ group chat by their advisor.

The news quickly became a trending topic on China's popular social network Weibo, with netizens increasingly suspicious that the researchers’ cancer may be related to the working environment in the lab.

Considered a top-tier medical provider and research institution, the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital is directly managed by China’s National Health Commission. Most of its laboratories specialize in researching cancer transition and treatment, including cancer epigenetics and gene regulation.

In a November 8 statement the hospital confirmed that three researchers at its Shu Hua Breast Cancer Center lab were diagnosed with cancer in 2023: pancreatic, synovial sarcoma and breast, respectively. The hospital said all three have been treated and are recovering, and that the Center’s laboratory “has strictly adhered to lab safety rules since its launch in 2005.”

“The causes for individual cancer cases are extremely complicated and the hospital welcomed third-party institutions to conduct evaluations and investigations at the lab,” the statement said.