Director of K Hospital points out 80% of cancer causes in Vietnam
The Director of K Hospital said that, in addition to environmental factors, there is another reason why the rate of cancer is increasing.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Van Quang, Director of K Hospital, said that in the past two decades, the rate of cancer in Vietnam has increased quite rapidly.
According to WHO statistics, in 2000, Vietnam recorded only 68,000 new cases, but by 2010 it had increased to 126,000 cases. By 2018, the number of new cases increased to nearly 165,000 cases/96.5 million people, of which nearly 70% were fatal, equivalent to 115,000 cases. 300,000 people are living with this disease.
Vietnam ranked 99/185 countries and territories with a cancer incidence rate of 151.4/100,000 people, ranking 19th in Asia and 5th in Southeast Asia. In 2015, Vietnam ranked 107th and in 2013 it ranked 108th.
Currently, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in our country after cardiovascular disease and diabetes...
According to Associate Professor Quang, the older you are, the higher the rate of cancer. Most cancers appear in people over 50 years old when risk factors have enough time to accumulate to form the disease. However, in recent years, cancer has tended to be younger.
The more developed a society is, the longer the life expectancy, the higher the rate of cancer, due to the level of industrialization and lifestyle.
Among the causes of cancer, diet and environment account for 80% of the causes such as tobacco, alcohol, ionizing radiation, ultraviolet rays...
There are also some other causes such as genetics, infection with HP bacteria, HPV, hepatitis B virus...
And only less than 10% of cancers arise from endogenous disorders within the body, genetic damage, and unchangeable causes.
Although science has identified the agents and risk factors that cause cancer, in reality, in most specific cases, doctors will find it difficult to determine the exact cause because they cannot recall all the agents and risk factors that the patient is exposed to in life. Some patients have multiple factors at the same time.
“If we eliminate, avoid or reduce exposure to the above carcinogens, we can prevent one-third of cancers,” said Professor Quang.
Associate Professor, Dr. Le Van Quang. Photo: T. Hanh
Some factors and agents that cause cancer can be changed and prevented, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, chewing betel, a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits, unsafe sex that spreads HPV virus, not getting vaccinated against hepatitis B leading to infection, and too much exposure to sunlight...
Although many countries in the world consider cancer a chronic disease that requires long-term treatment, Associate Professor Quang said that many people still have wrong prejudices about this disease, considering cancer as a "death sentence".
The consequences of this prejudice are excessive pessimism, giving up and non-compliance with treatment.
While today's medical advances have helped many people to be cured or to live significantly longer.
Some cancers have a 5-year cure rate exceeding 90% if detected early and treated promptly, such as thyroid cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, etc. At K Hospital, there are many cancer patients who have been cured for 10 years, 30 years, even 48 years.
“We believe that the most correct and appropriate thing to do is for patients and their families to talk directly with specialists to best understand the disease, treatment and prognosis, as well as use the correct treatment methods and medicines at specialized facilities. Do not listen to rumors to waste precious time that could have cured the disease, which would be a waste of money and health,” Associate Professor Quang emphasized.
