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Only cardiovascular diseases kill more in the country annually.
The statistics were revealed in the report 'Cancer preparedness in Asia-Pacific:
Progress towards universal cancer control' by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU)
released early this month.
The report looks at different responses to cancer in Asia-Pacific and the
essential elements needed to enhance preparedness in the region.
The 10 countries included in this study were chosen based on various factors
including size, income-level diversity and progress made towards universal
health coverage (UHC). They are Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,
Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, the Republic of Korea (RoK) and Vietnam.
According to the report, Vietnam ranks second from bottom in cancer
preparedness among the countries with an overall score of 44.5 out of 100, just
above the Philippines whose score is 42.6.
The regional average score is 66.5 while Australia, the RoK and Malaysia lead
the region with scores of 92.4, 83.4 and 80.3 respectively.
The report also pointed out that in middle-income countries, the cancer
mortality rate ranges from 60 to 70 percent. Meanwhile, the percentage in
high-income countries is from 30 to 50 percent.
According to the report, nearly 70 percent of cancer patients in Vietnam die, a
figure which raised public concern.
Director of the National Cancer Hospital Associate Prof. Dr. Le Van Quang told Suc
khoe & Doi song (Health & Life) newspaper that the EIU’s report took data from
2018 when Vietnam reported 165,000 new cancer cases and 115,000 deaths caused by
cancer. The number of deaths was not of new cancer cases but accumulated numbers
from previous years.
“Cancer mortality rate reported within one year cannot be as exact as those
collected in a period, for example, three or five years,” he said.
“To evaluate any country's ability in cancer treatment, it should be based on
the time patients survive after they receive diagnosis and treatment,” he said.
“It is not true that 70 percent of cancer patients in Vietnam died within a year
of being diagnosed,” he said.
The EIU’s report said the mortality rate of cancer patients within a year in
Southeast Asian countries including Vietnam is 29 percent.
In Vietnam, the three most common cancers - lung cancer, liver cancer and
stomach cancer – usually develop fast with malignant tumours and are difficult
to treat.
Meanwhile, in Australia, the three most common cancers are breast, prostate and
colorectum which usually develop slowly and can be treated well in Vietnam.
In the RoK, the three most common cancers are thyroid cancer, stomach cancer and
colorectum cancer, Quang said, adding that Vietnam now can treat thyroid cancer
well.
He emphasised that the types of cancer and causes of cancer affect the mortality
rate differently in different countries.
Currently, Vietnam has similar equipment and medicine for cancer treatment as in
other countries.
However, it still needed to improve and implement four major tasks in its cancer
prevention and control plans, Quang said.
The four tasks are preventive measures, early screening, treatment and pain
relief.
In Vietnam, the cancer prevention and control programme is part of the programme
on non-communicable diseases prevention and control but funding for cancer is
modest.
In addition, health insurance does not cover early cancer screening.
“In the near future, if health insurance covers part of the cost for cancer
screening, especially for high-risk groups, more people can access the
screening,” he said.
"The sooner the disease is detected, patients have more chance to be cleared
from the disease and medical costs are also reduced," he said.
Quang also called on people to have regular health check-ups for timely
detection and treatment.
Source: VNA