Background. Cancer has become a chronic condition in China: age-standardised survival keeps rising, yet care is still organised around the tumour rather than the person. Patients and their families face fragmented pathways, long hospital stays, uneven access between tertiary and primary institutions, and unmet psychological, social and functional needs. In 2024 the Cancer Prevention and Control Expert Committee of the Healthy China Research Center convened a multidisciplinary panel to define what patient-centred care (PCC) should mean in Chinese oncology practice and how it can be delivered.

Methods. The consensus was developed through a structured review of international and Chinese evidence on patient-centred and value-based oncology care, patient-reported outcomes (PROs), day-care and infusion services, home-based care, telehealth, and tiered diagnosis and treatment; iterative expert discussion; and formal consensus drafting, with recommendations weighed against the strength of evidence and the feasibility of implementation in China.

Key content. PCC is defined as care that integrates the patient’s clinical condition, the best available evidence and the patient’s reasonable preferences, respects the wishes of patients and caregivers, and engages institutions and professionals at every level so that benefits are maximised across the whole cancer journey. The consensus contrasts PCC with the disease-centred model in service targets, participants, disease stage covered, purpose, focus, direction of development and disciplinary boundaries; describes a four-step workflow (comprehensive assessment, shared decision-making, delivery at the appropriate level of care, and psychological and genetic counselling); and identifies convenient care — day-care centres, in- and out-of-hospital infusion centres, home services and telemedicine — as its core vehicle. Ten implementation standards are proposed, covering the obligations of institutions at each tier, premises and equipment, staff qualifications, adherence to law and clinical routine, and cost-conscious use of resources.

Expected benefits. The evidence summarised indicates that convenient, patient-centred models improve the care experience, adherence and quality of life, reduce inpatient expenditure and over-treatment, and support tiered care and the high-quality development of public hospitals. Subcutaneous formulations illustrate the operational gain: in a department treating 250 HER2-positive patients a year, subcutaneous trastuzumab shortens infusion time from 30–90 to 2–5 minutes, reduces mean length of stay from two days to one, releases roughly 250 bed-days, can raise the case-mix index from 1.5 to 1.72, and saves at least half an hour of nursing time per patient.

Conclusions. Patient-centred oncology care is a feasible and necessary direction for China. Delivering it requires standardised convenient-care services, digital follow-up platforms, integration of traditional Chinese medicine across the care cycle, and supportive reimbursement policies. The consensus calls on clinicians, institutions and policymakers to accelerate regulation and practice change, so that patients receive warmer, more continuous and more equitable care and the Healthy China 2030 goal of raising overall 5-year cancer survival by 15% can be met.

Keywords: patient-centred care; oncology; expert consensus; convenient care; patient-reported outcomes; tiered diagnosis and treatment; health policy; China