Chinese Oncology Lab Tied To Cancer In Doctors.

"HONG KONG -- An unusual cluster of cancer cases among Chinese researchers affiliated with one of the country's top oncology laboratories has attracted a wave of public attention, leading to new questions around lab safety.

Two surgeons at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital in the southern city of Guangzhou were diagnosed with cancer in June and October, the hospital said on Wednesday. Both had previously worked in the hospital's highly regarded breast-cancer research laboratory.

A visiting scholar who worked at the lab until April 2022 was also diagnosed with cancer this year, the hospital said.

Reports of back-to-back cancer diagnoses among researchers at the lab began to circulate on Chinese social media this week. The hospital's partial confirmation of those reports has fueled a wave of public interest, with many internet users questioning whether the cases were caused by carcinogenic substances being studied at the lab and whether other cancer diagnoses connected to the facility would emerge.

The laboratory operates in strict accordance with standards and all members of its laboratory staff have received safety training, the hospital said.

"In response to concerns that the cancer diagnoses are linked to the laboratory or contact with test reagents, the causes of cancers are extremely complicated," the hospital said. "We sincerely welcome relevant agencies to organize third-party organizations to review and investigate."

The two surgeons, surnamed Huang and Liu, worked in the hospital's breast-cancer laboratory as medical students, the hospital said. Huang was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and Liu was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma, a rare form of cancer that occurs in soft tissues.

Both individuals have undergone surgery, with one in stable condition and the other in recovery, the hospital said. The visiting scholar was diagnosed with breast cancer at another hospital, it said.

Calls to the public-relations office of the health commission in Guangdong Province, where the hospital is located, weren't answered on Thursday.

Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital is renowned in China for its medical research and is named after the revolutionary figure and founding father of modern China, who was also a doctor.

The level of risk faced by medical researchers has been a charged topic in China since the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic, when Li Wenliang, a doctor based in Wuhan, died from Covid after trying to sound an alarm about the virus. The early spread of the virus in Wuhan, home to a virology lab that experimented with coronavirus, has also focused scrutiny on lab safety in the country." [1]

1. World News: Chinese Oncology Lab Tied To Cancer In Doctors. Cheng, Selina.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 10 Nov 2023: A.10.