Nghe An: Over 5,000 people are diagnosed with cancer each year.
(Baonghean) - Air pollution, water pollution, food pollution, and cigarette smoke are among the leading causes of cancer. Cancer is increasing rapidly and is tending to affect younger people.
| On average, the Internal Medicine Department I at Nghe An Oncology Hospital has around 120-130 inpatients each day. Each patient in the department has mentally prepared themselves for long-term treatment, "living" with medical equipment, IV fluids, and chemotherapy. Patients come from provinces and cities in the North Central region, mainly Nghe An, and the majority are over 50 years old. However, younger patients in their prime are not uncommon. |
Coming from Anh Son district, Mr. Nguyen Van Chung (39 years old) sadly shared with us after an exhausting chemotherapy session: “I have lung cancer. Now I've mentally prepared myself to follow the treatment plan and recover my health. I don't even enjoy eating anymore, but I try to eat. I'm suffering, but my family is suffering even more because they have to be there to take care of me.”
Nguyen Thi Hien (30 years old), a fellow villager of Mr. Chung, has been in the Internal Medicine Department I for several months now. According to the doctors, Ms. Hien has lung cancer due to frequent exposure to cigarette smoke, while Mr. Chung's main cause is occupational disease, from frequent exposure to dust and smoke from stone and cement mining.
 |
| A health check-up for a leukemia patient at Nghe An Oncology Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son |
The youngest patient currently receiving treatment at Nghe An Oncology Hospital is Lu Tuan Kiet (born in 2004), residing in Tam 2 village, Chau Phong commune (Quy Chau district). Kiet's mother, Lo Thi Nam, sadly recalled: “Before Tet, my husband and I discovered that our son had many lymph nodes around his neck, so we went to the provincial hospital for examination. That's when we found out he had malignant leukemia. The doctor said his illness requires very long-term treatment…” As if aware of his condition, Kiet occasionally asks the doctor, “How much longer do I have to live?”, bringing tears to the eyes of his fellow patients.
According to Dr. Nguyen Khanh Toan, Head of Internal Medicine Department I and holding a Master's degree in oncology, the department detects an average of 7-8 cancer patients each week. Most patients arrive quite late, with the disease already in stages 3 and 4 and metastasized. Cancer patients in the department, and at Nghe An Oncology Hospital in general, are rapidly becoming younger. Previously, cancer patients were typically over 50 or 60 years old, but now cancer is frequently seen in those in their 20s and 30s, and even some as young as 18 years old have lung, stomach, or colorectal cancer.
 |
| Doctors are monitoring lung cancer for patient Tran Thi Thanh Hien, 30 years old, from Anh Son district. |
According to the Nghe An Oncology Hospital, some cancers that were previously uncommon in young people, such as breast cancer, are now more prevalent. Surprisingly, some cancers that previously only affected older adults are now appearing in young patients, even very young ones. The hospital has even treated patients with nasopharyngeal cancer and stomach cancer aged 9-13.
Dr. Nguyen Khanh Toan, a Master's degree holder, also stated that while different types of cancer have different risk factors, the rapid increase and younger age of onset are generally due to several groups of causes such as diet, contaminated food, irregular lifestyle, obesity, air pollution, contaminated water, radiation, occupation, and genetic factors (if one person in the family has cancer, the risk of cancer in subsequent generations is also higher)... One particularly significant cause is active and passive smoking; statistics show that up to 90% of lung cancer cases are related to cigarette smoke.
| On average, Nghe An province has over 5,000 new cancer cases each year. The number of male cancer patients in Nghe An is 2-3 times higher than that of female patients. Common cancers in men include lung, stomach, liver, colon, and esophageal cancer; in women, they include breast, colon, lung, and uterine cancer. Furthermore, the rate of cancer patients is lower in mountainous areas compared to lowland and urban areas; and lower among ethnic minorities compared to the Kinh majority. |
 |
| Chemotherapy treatment for patients at Nghe An Oncology Hospital. Photo: Thanh Son |
Cancer is on the rise and affecting younger people; however, we shouldn't be too pessimistic, because medicine is constantly developing and finding better treatments. Cancer is entirely preventable through a healthy lifestyle and completely curable if detected early.
Dr. Pham Vinh Hung, MD, MSc - Deputy Director of Nghe An Oncology Hospital, recommends: “To effectively prevent cancer, each person needs to live a regular and timely lifestyle; exercise regularly, for more than 30 minutes each day; eat clean food; stay away from cigarette smoke and have regular health check-ups and cancer screenings for early detection.”
Cancer treatment is a multi-modal approach; patients need to strictly adhere to the treatment plan prescribed by specialists and, importantly, should not use traditional Chinese medicine. Simultaneously using radiofrequency ablation, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and traditional Chinese medicine will worsen the condition, cause liver and kidney toxicity, and prevent doctors from identifying the underlying causes of the worsening disease.
Cancer rates are increasing, making it one of the major diseases of modern society. Globally, people in Asia account for a large proportion of cancer cases. In Vietnam, it is estimated that approximately 125,000 new cancer cases are diagnosed each year, and 94,000 people die from cancer. Among these, Nghe An and Ha Tinh are the two provinces with the highest number of cancer cases in the North Central and Northern regions of Vietnam. The concept of "younger age" in adult cancer refers to cases occurring before age 35; cancer diagnosed before age 30 is considered very young. In the 0-14 age group, blood cancer is the leading cancer in both sexes. Eye, kidney, bone, and soft tissue cancers are the next most common. In the 15-24 and 25-34 age groups, thyroid cancer is the leading cancer in both sexes. In men, colon and liver cancers are among the most common cancers. In women, breast cancer is the most common. |
Thanh Son
| RELATED NEWS |
|---|
