Communist Vietnam is cautioned about rising numbers of patients with liver, lung, breast and cervical cancer, state media reported Friday, quoting a health ministry official. Le Hoang Minh director of Ho Chi Minh City Tumor Hospital made the warning at a two-day seminar on cancer prevention in HCM City between Dec. 3-4, the Lao Dong newspaper reported Friday. More than 1,000 professors and doctors from 138 healthcare centers nationwide attended the seminar to discuss 136 scientific subjects on cancer treatment using new technologies. Speaking at the event, Prof. Nguyen Chan Hung chairman of the Oncology Association in HCM City said raising public awareness of harmful effects of smoking, having a reasonable nutritional diet and vaccination are effective measures to combat cancer. Vietnam is estimated to identify 150,000 to 200,000 new cancer patients a year and report 100,000 deaths by the disease, statistics from the Ministry of Health showed.
