Roche Pharma Vietnam and the HCM City Oncology Hospital will continue to improve cancer diagnosis, and treatment in Việt Nam as part of an MoU signed on March 25. — Photo Roche Pharma Vietnam

HCM CITY — Roche Pharma Vietnam and the HCM City Oncology Hospital (HOH) signed an MoU to improve the hospital‘s professional capacity of medical staff and strengthen cooperation with domestic and foreign oncology organisations and experts.

The MoU aims to improve diagnostic and therapeutic capacity, treatment and patient support while also carrying out exchange of experiences among international organisations, implementation of key projects on breast and liver cancer, and the building a database for the treatment and care of patients.

HOH’s director Dr Phạm Xuân Dũng said: “Cancer is one of the key health concerns in Việt Nam. Combating it requires strong cooperation across the entire health sector to develop a multi-dimensional and synchronous intervention solution, both to raise public awareness and strengthen the capacity for diagnosis and treatment to reduce the financial burden on patients, their families, and society as a whole.” 

Dũng added that as the central location for cancer prevention and treatment, HOH was ready to cooperate with partners like Roche Vietnam to enhance oncology treatment across the board, from diagnosis to follow-up treatments and aftercare.

“The MoU and our cooperation with Roche Vietnam benefit the hospital’s medical staff and help improve the understanding of cancer in the community, helping us provide comprehensive care for patients,” he said.

Lennor Carrillo, general director of Roche Pharma Vietnam, said: “This partnership reasserts Roche Pharma Vietnam’s long-term commitment to address diagnostic capabilities and cancer treatment challenges in Việt Nam.

"As a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics for more than 125 years, we are always ready to share the latest and most advanced innovations and experiences with our partners to improve the quality of diagnosis, treatment, and patient care, as well as reduce the social burden associated with cancer.”

Previously, Roche Vietnam and HOH jointly implemented a project on “Enhancing access to advanced therapies for high-risk breast cancer patients in 2020-2025” at the hospital level.

In 2021, HOH carried out a series of breast cancer awareness-raising programmes for the community, coupled with screenings for women over 40 and others in high-risk groups.

The project also included training and professional development programmes for multimodality treatment of breast cancer and strengthening the clinical research capacity at the hospital.

The latest figures from the International Agency for Research on Cancer show about 182,500 new cases of cancer in Việt Nam, resulting in 122,690 related deaths. For every 100,000 people, 159 are newly diagnosed with cancer, while another 106 people die from the disease.

Việt Nam’s new cancer incidence rate has increased by nine places to 90th out of 185 countries as the number of new cases rose from 165,000 in 2018 to 182,000 in 2020.

Likewise, the country increased six places on the mortality index to 50th out of 185 over the same two years. These figures show rapid increases in both new cases and deaths from cancer in Việt Nam. — VNS