Vietnam reports more than 120,000 cancer deaths a year, heard a technical scientific conference held at the Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital in the southern metropolis on Friday.

Some 50 - 80 percent of patients visiting the hospital for medical checkups or treatment are diagnosed with third- or fourth-stage cancer.

“Cancer has been a burden to families and the society in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular. Cancer cases and deaths are on the rise,” Dr. Diep Bao Tuan from the hospital said at the conference.

According to the 2022 global cancer statistics released by the Global Cancer Observatory in early March this year, some 19.9 million new cancer cases were detected globally.

Besides, the world documented 9.7 million people dying from cancer in 2022.

The statistics also indicated that Vietnam recorded nearly 180,400 new cancer patients and more than 120,000 deaths from cancer.

Given the figures, Vietnam was listed as one of the countries severely hit by the growing cancer burden.

The Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital has seen the number of patients suffering from tumors soaring over the past few years.

In 2023, the hospital admitted some 800,000 patients, and performed nearly 37,000 surgeries.

In addition, the hospital reported over 180,000 patients undergoing radiation therapy, while 300,000 others were treated by chemotherapy.

Though the cancer incidence rate in Vietnam is not higher than that in other countries in the world, it is among the countries in Southeast Asia with the highest cancer mortality rate.

The high death rate in Vietnam is attributed to late detection.

Japan and South Korea have a higher cancer rate than Vietnam, but their cancer death rates are lower than the rate of the Southeast Asian nation due to effective medical screenings.

“Regular medical screenings and early detection will make cancer treatment more effective,” Dr. Tuan said.

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