A week-long campaign was held in Beijing this week to boost public awareness of cancer prevention and control, addressing a growing health crisis the country cannot afford to ignore.

The Cancer Prevention Week, launched by the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association in 1995, falls on April 15 to 21 each year.

This year's campaign urged people to improve disease prevention through a slew of activities, including online interviews, lectures and free physical examinations.

Cancer has been the top killer for Beijingers for seven consecutive years between 2007 and 2013, according to a report released by the municipal commission of health and family planning this week.

The National Cancer Registration Center estimated that about 3.5 million new cases of cancer are diagnosed annually, and 2.5 million die from the disease, said Chen Wanqing, deputy director of the center.

"Although Chinese people's livelihood has improved, cancer incidence and mortality have also been on the rise," he said.

Cancer has grown as a killer in China in past decades.