Vietnam Sees Significant Increase in Early Breast Cancer Detection
The proportion of early-stage breast cancer diagnoses rose to over 75% in 2023 from the previous 30%, thanks to increased community awareness, according to data from the Vietnam National Cancer Hospital (K Hospital).
This information was presented by experts at the conference reviewing the implementation of the "Enhancing Access to Advanced Therapies for High-Risk Breast Cancer Patients Phase 2020 - 2025" project organized by the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Medical Association, and Roche on March 5.
Speaking at the conference, Dr. Nguyen Trong Khoa, deputy director of the Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ministry of Health, stated that in Vietnam, if breast cancer patients are diagnosed at an early stage, the survival rate for an additional five years can be as high as 90%, and even a recent study on women under 35 years old has shown a survival rate for an additional ten years at an early stage is over 80%.
However, there are still many areas that need improvement, he added, noting that the age of breast cancer incidence among Vietnamese women has tended to become younger. Some women still do not undergo regular screening, leading many to seek medical attention when the disease has progressed to a late stage, making treatment more difficult and costly.
According to Globocan 2020, Vietnam sees 21,555 new cases of breast cancer and 9,345 deaths from the disease each year.