According to the GE report, 27 percent of Chinese women over the age of 40 living in urban areas undergo mammograms once every two years. In the US, 50 percent of women in the same age bracket receive a mammogram annually.

"It is of great concern that women in newly industrialized countries are reluctant to get checked out until it is too late," says Claire Goodliffe, global oncology director at GE Healthcare.

While China currently has the lowest age-adjusted incidence of the countries in question, the family planning policy and other lifestyle changes due to rapid economic growth will potentially have enormous long-term effects on breast-cancer rates, GE says.

About the broadcaster:

Anne Ruisi is an editor at China Daily online with more than 30 years of experience as a newspaper editor and reporter. She has worked at newspapers in the U.S., including The Birmingham News in Alabama and City Newspaper of Rochester, N.Y.

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