The rates of new cases and deaths from cancer in Vietnam are both increasing, with more than 180,000 new cases and more than 120,000 deaths each year.
The information was given by Prof. Dr. Le Van Quang, Director of K Hospital (Hanoi), at Cooperation signing ceremony to improve the quality of cancer management and prevention, between the hospital and Merck Healthcare Vietnam, October 2.
According to Globocan’s latest statistics, each year Vietnam is estimated to have 180,480 new cases and 120,184 deaths due to cancer. In 2022, Vietnam is ranked 90/185 countries in terms of new infection rate, up 9 places compared to 2018. In terms of mortality rate, Vietnam ranks 50/185, up 6 places. Among them, breast cancer, liver cancer, and lung cancer are the leaders, with new incidence and death rates increasing each year.
At Hospital K, in 2023 there will be 446,830 patient examinations, an increase of 34% compared to 2022. Of which, the number of surgeries will be more than 30,600 (an increase of 22%); The number of chemotherapy sessions was nearly 36,000 (an increase of 29%) and radiotherapy was nearly 15,900 (an increase of 29%).
“Cancer patients have to undergo long-term treatment, new drugs and new techniques are very expensive. This is a burden for both patients, families and society,” Professor Quang said.
Prof. Dr. Le Van Quang, Director of Hospital K, spoke at the program. Image: Minh Thu
Professor Quang believes that cancer patients have a high death rate because of late detection. Most patients come to the doctor at stages 3 and 4, leading to ineffective treatment. Cancer screening and early detection are important factors in treating the disease. At the same time, with medical advances, many new drugs such as targeted drugs, immunotherapy or new chemical drugs have been born to help improve treatment effectiveness for cancer patients. Many people were cured or their lives were prolonged.
Some cancers have a cure rate of over 90% over 5 years if detected and treated at an early stage such as thyroid cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, etc. .
At the signing ceremony, Mecrk representative said that with this cooperation, many activities will be implemented to improve the capacity and experience of medical staff in diagnosing, treating and caring for cancer patients. At the same time, the two units will negotiate cancer drug prices; testing support; continue to research new drugs… that bring the most benefits to patients.
K Hospital currently has 3 facilities, is the leading oncology industry in the North, with a total of 2,400 beds and nearly 2,000 medical staff. In the near future, the hospital will build a 4th facility to develop advanced techniques, such as the most advanced proton radiation therapy in the world, to improve the quality of treatment for cancer patients.