An average of 260 people die of cancer every day in Vietnam, an expert has said in her report.

The statistic was announced by Le Bach Mai, former deputy head of the National Institute of Nutrition, during a conference on Monday.

In 2017, over 540,000 patients succumbed to illnesses across the country, of whom about 410,000, or 76 percent, died of non-communicable diseases including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and others, Mai continued.

The number of new patients of cancer has also been rising, except for cervical cancer thanks to early diagnosis and several types of vaccination.

Most people suffering cancer in the country are diagnosed at the second to fourth phases, the expert continued, adding that treatment would not be effective if it is carried out during the third and fourth phases of the diseases.

The Southeast Asian nation has set a goal to lower the number of early deaths by non-communicable illnesses by 20 percent by 2025, Mai stated.

In order to achieve the goal, efforts will be exerted to bring down the number of smokers by 30 percent, heavy drinkers by 10 percent, and people who do not exercise by 10 percent.

Measures will also be taken to keep the number of obese citizens under 15 percent, lower salt consumption by 30 percent, and improve diagnosis and treatment for patients with high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The goal may be difficult to attain, given that it took Japan 10 years to reduce 39 percent of salt consumption in the country, Mai quoted a study as saying.

“However, if there is no change to the current way of living, we will have to spend a lot on medical expenses in the next five to 10 years,” she said.

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