Pham Xuan Dung, Director of the HCM City Oncology Hospital, said his hospital usually receives about 20,000 new cancer cases each year. In the first 11 months of 2023, as many as 30,000 new cancer patients came to have exams or treatment at the leading end-line oncology hospital in the southern region.

The information was released at the HCM City 2023 conference on cancer prevention and control held on December 7.

Dung affirmed that patients contracting some kinds of cancer are getting younger, including breast and colorectal cancer, while the number of thyroid, stomach and prostate cancers is increasing.

He cited a 2020 GLOBOCAN report as saying that the number of cancer sufferers and deaths from cancer have been increasing. Liver cancer has the highest annual incidence rate with 26,418 cases.

Dung said there are many reasons for the increase. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, many patients had to wait to get treatment, and many others could not be screened for early discovery of disease.

A report found that during the pandemic, the diagnosis, management and treatment of cancer patients decreased by 50 percent in all countries. In Europe, at least 1 million cancer cases were not diagnosed during the two-year pandemic, and many cancer screening tests were not done.

In Vietnam, the entire healthcare system had to participate in the campaign to fight against Covid-19, including cancer specialists and medical staff.

“Experts have warned that the world may face a cancer pandemic if urgent solutions are not implemented,” Dung said.

“The number of cancer patients diagnosed late will increase, thus affecting treatment quality,” he added.

He said that at the seminar on cancer prevention and control this year, experts will focus on improvements in cancer screening. The new goals of medical intervention will be not only treatment, but also preserving patients’ biological functions and quality of life. For example, for terminal cancer patients, quality of life will be a top priority.

Large cancer centers in Vietnam have recently gained high achievements in disease treatment and many patients can be cured, while many medical facilities have been expanded or built. 

Linh Giao