Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Xuyen, President of the Vietnam Medical Association, speaks at the event. (Photo: VNS/VNA) A workshop was held to review the project on improving access to innovativetherapies for high-risk breast cancer patients at key hospitals after threeyears of implementation in Vietnam.
The five-year project was jointly implemented by the Vietnam MedicalAssociation (VMA), the Ministry of Health and Roche Pharma Vietnam from 2020 to2025.
At the event, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Xuyen, President of the VMA,said: “Every year, Vietnam reports over 24,500 new breast cancer cases and morethan 10,000 deaths, most of whom are women. Addressing this problem, the jointproject was the very first strategic initiative targeting breast cancer in Vietnam.
“The project achieved significant progress in all of four key pillars:Awareness campaigns on breast cancer reached more than 7 million. Breast cancerearly-stage diagnosis rates soared from under 30% to 75%. 431 breast cancerpatients have been supported via Roche’s Patient Support Programme, totalmedicine support value 67 billion VND.”
General Director of Roche Pharma Vietnam Lennor Carrillo said that the projectmarked significant progress in enhancing early access to diagnosis andtreatment for breast cancer patients and promoting women's health in Vietnam.
“Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cause of cancer death inwomen," said Carrillo.
"However, healthcare advancements in diagnosis and treatment havesignificantly increased the chance of cure. Research showed that an astounding90% five-year survival rate is observed when breast cancer is detected andtreated at an early stage.”
He also expressed his commitment to sustainably improving breast cancerdiagnosis, treatment and management in Vietnam.
Experts said that for many years, only 30% of breast cancer patients werediagnosed at the early stages of the disease due to limited public awareness ofbreast cancer. To resolve this issue, the project has raised public awarenessto increase early breast cancer detection rates among high-risk women.
As of 2023, data from K (Cancer) Hospital shows that the proportion of breastcancer patients diagnosed at early stages has increased to more than 75%.
A significant number of medical staff have been provided training onmultidisciplinary treatment and clinical research at five key hospitals,including The K Hospital, Bach Mai Hospital, Hanoi Oncology Hospital, Ho Chi MinhCity Oncology Hospital, and Cho Ray Hospital, which has contributed to ameasurable improvement in the quality of examination and treatment.
To improve access for breast cancer patients to innovative therapies, theVietnam Health Economics Association, along with experts from Hanoi Universityof Pharmacy, Hanoi University of Public Health, and the Health Strategy andPolicy Institute, have completed 11 health-economic research projects. Theseinclude an overview of breast cancer screening and treatment payment policiesin different countries, as well as an evaluation of the cost-effectiveness andbudget impact of some breast cancer treatment drugs.
Within the framework of the project component, Roche Pharma Vietnam hasimplemented a patient support programme for breast cancer patients across 18hospitals. As of December 2023, 431 patients have benefited from the programmewith a total support value of more than 67 billion VND (2.7 million USD).
Another important objective of the project is to build a database for breastcancer diagnosis and treatment. Two studies have been completed, including theepidemiological map of cancer diseases and cost assessment of cancer treatmentsolutions in 2018–20, and the epidemiological characteristics and treatmentcosts of breast cancer in Vietnam.
The National Cancer Institute also developed a set of criteria for breastcancer registration. A report on breast cancer registration activities athospitals has also been conducted across six hospitals.
When the indicators within the criteria set are used to register cancerdirectly on the information system of the Ministry of Health and Vietnam SocialSecurity, data can be extracted quickly and accurately, reducing the need formanual collection and making an important contribution to cancer management andprediction in Vietnam./.
VNA
