150,000 Vietnamese Diagnosed with Cancer Each Year: Ministry

Vietnam reports about 150,000 new people getting diagnosed with cancer and more than 75,000 die of the disease every year, according to figures of the Ministry of Health. According to the ministry’s report, some 74.3% of the total burden of diseases in Vietnam was caused by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) with cancer among the top ten causes. The costs of treating just six common cancers – breast, ovary, liver, colon, stomach and pharynx accounted for 0.22% of the country’s GDP in 2012, said Pham Le Tuan, deputy health minister. Among men, the ten most common sites of cancer are lung, prostate, colon, stomach, liver, esophagus, pharynx, blood, bladder and lymphoma while among women are breast, colon, lung, cervix, stomach, liver, blood, thyroid, ovary and lymphoma. Cancer is among the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with approximately 14.1 million new cases and 8.2 million cancer related deaths each year. More than two thirds of all cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. (hanoimoi.com.vn Apr 12)