Vietnam Reports 20,000 Lung Cancer Patients Yearly

Vietnam records more than 20,000 new patients of lung cancer and 17,000 related deaths each year, Nguyen Viet Nhung, director of the Central Lung Hospital said at a meeting in Hanoi on Nov 18. Mr. Nhung attributed the rising number of lung cancer patients in Vietnam to air pollution and the low quality of current treatment facilities. On the same day, the Vimedimex Group opened a center for hi-tech lung cancer radiotherapy in the Central Lung Hospital in Hanoi. The facility is equipped with the world’s most modern equipment imported from the U.S. and Europe. “The center, thus, will help treat cancer patients with modern, safe, and the least painful methods, with the goal of enhancing the efficiency of lung cancer treatment in Vietnam,” Mr. Nhung said. According to the Ministry of Health’s statistics, lung cancer ranks second among all types of cancer that cause deaths among both men and women in Vietnam each year. (Ha Noi Moi – New Hanoi Nov 19 p7, Tuoi Tre – Youth Nov 19)