Delegates at the launch of the campaign on breast cancer prevention in Hà Nội on October 16. — Photo K Hospital

HÀ NỘI — Thanks to a newly launched campaign across the country, at least 3,000 women will be provided with free breast cancer screening from October 16. The campaign aims to improve breast cancer prevention and early detection in Việt Nam. 

The campaign has been organised by the Ministry of Health, the Vì Ngày Mai Tươi Sáng (Bright Future) cancer support group and Roche Vietnam, to coincide with Breast Cancer Awareness Month and the 91st Anniversary of the Vietnam Women's Union on October 20.

Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women, both in Việt Nam and around the world. 

“Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the world as well as in Việt Nam. Breast cancer is completely curable if detected early. Therefore, screening and early detection of breast cancer are of particular importance. The earlier the detection, the simpler the treatment, the more effective the treatment, the lower the treatment cost,” said Deputy Health Minister Trần Văn Thuấn at the campaigns launching ceremony.

“However, due to psychological factors, many Vietnamese women are still afraid and do not go for screening for early cancer detection, so many women go to the hospital when the disease has turned to a late stage, making treatment difficult and expensive. I call on women to be concerned and perform screening for early detection of breast cancer.”

The campaign will carry out a series of activities across the country to raise awareness and encourage routine checks to detect the earliest signs of breast cancer for women.

Medical staff providing breast cancer screening at K Hospital in Hà Nội. — Photo K Hospital

The fund will collaborate with six hospitals across the country; K Hospital, Bạch Mai Hospital, Hà Nội Oncology Hospital, Huế Central Hospital, Đà Nẵng Cancer Hospital and HCM City Cancer and Oncology Hospital. 

These hospitals will provide a free clinical examination and an ultrasound scan. Women in Hà Nội and neighbouring areas will be provided breast cancer screening at the K Hospital’s Phan Chu Trinh facility in Hoàn Kiếm District, Hà Nội.

The organisers also collaborated with the National Cancer Research Institute to launch a "Breast Cancer Corner" on the website www.nci.vn, to provide official information about breast cancer.

A “Doctor Talk" series will also be organised online, providing physicians’ instructions on how to how to effectively prevent breast cancer, detect cancer early and other related information. Details about the online doctor consultation campaign will be regularly updated at the website www.ngaymaituoisang.vn and the social media accounts of the Bright Future Fund and Chung Tay Vì Người Phụ Nữ Tôi Yêu (Join Hands For The Woman I Love).

The former Deputy Minister of Health and President of the Bright Future Fund, Nguyễn Thị Xuyên, believes the campaign will help to raise women’s awareness about the leading cause of death for women.

“I urge women to pay more attention to breast cancer and perform regular cancer screening. And we also call on businesses and organisations to encourage an annual health checkup for women turning 40 years old in their organisation,” said Xuyên.

According to the 2018 GLOBOCAN database published by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. 

In 2018, Việt Nam had nearly 165,000 cancer patients, including more than 15,000 breast cancer patients. More than 6,000 people died due to breast cancer in 2018. — VNS