LONDON, April 24 (Xinhua) -- China has become the world's top contributor to high-quality cancer research, surpassing the United States for the first time, according to the latest "2025 Nature Index-Cancer" supplement.

Using the metrics of Count and Share to assess contributions, the Nature Index supplement, released on Wednesday, shows that in 2024, China achieved a Share of 2,614.5 in cancer-related research. The United States recorded a Share of 2,481.7.

China recorded a 19 percent increase in its output in 2024 compared to the previous year, while the United States saw a more modest rise of 5 percent.

Among research institutions, Harvard University ranked first in cancer-related research output for the period from January 2019 to August 2024, according to the Nature Index. The Chinese Academy of Sciences was placed second.

Other leading institutions include the U.S. National Institutes of Health, China's Sun Yat-sen University, the U.S. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and China's Shanghai Jiao Tong University, among others.

Between 2019 and 2024, the United States remained the top nation in cumulative cancer research output, followed by China. Both countries significantly outpaced other major contributors, including Britain, Germany, and Japan.

The Nature Index is a database of author affiliations and institutional relationships. The index tracks contributions to research articles published in high-quality natural-science and health-science journals.■