The past, present and future of breast cancer research in China

The incidence of breast cancer has increased rapidly in recent years and has now become the most common cancer in women in major cities of China. Here, we reviewed the history and progress of breast cancer research in China, including achievements that Chinese scientists have made in basic, translational and clinical research. Moreover, we evaluated the contributions of National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) in the field of breast cancer research. The number of grants funded by the NSFC for breast cancer has tripled from 87 to 274 in the past 5 years, and this resulted in a dramatic increase in breast cancer publications. Despite this great progress, policy makers are continuously taking efforts to guarantee the transparency of grant competition and the effective use of NSFC finding.