Hà Nội women receive advice on screening and early detection of breast and cervical cancer. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The early detection and screening programme for breast and cervical cancer in 2023 has been launched in 18 healthcare centres across districts and towns of Hà Nội.

The programme, running from October to December, will provide consultations and screenings for 32,500 women aged 35 to 60.

Women's union members and residents in Gia Lâm District were among the first to benefit from the programme, helping them better understand the importance of early screening and detection of breast and cervical cancer.

Nguyễn Thị Thu Thủy, vice chairwoman of the Hà Nội Women's Union, said that there is still a high percentage of women who are not proactive in undergoing disease screening, resulting in late disease detection.

Many women suffer from serious health consequences caused by breast and cervical cancer, affecting their family happiness and placing a healthcare burden on society.

On October 14, doctors from the Hà Nội Tumor Hospital conducted cancer screenings for 250 women.

The programme is one of the key initiatives jointly coordinated by the Women's Union, the Hà Nội Department of Health, and the Hà Nội Tumor Hospital to implement the plan issued on April 15, 2022 by the Hà Nội People's Committee regarding the early screening and detection of breast and cervical cancer for women from 2022 to 2025.

The plan aims to have 100,750 women aged 35 to 60 screened and diagnosed early for breast and cervical cancer by 2025.

Doctors and medical experts from the Hà Nội Tumor Hospital and 15 public and private hospitals were assigned to conduct screenings programme in 18 districts and towns.

Breast and cervical cancers are among the leading causes of female cancer-related deaths.

According to the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN) - 2020, there were 21,555 new cases of breast cancer annually in Việt Nam, accounting for 25.8 per cent of all cancer cases diagnosed in women, resulting in 9,345 deaths.

Among these cases, a significant 27.6 per cent of breast cancer diagnoses were made at late stages (stages 3 and 4). The recurrence rate is 30 per cent.

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer and the second most common among women in Việt Nam.

On average, more than 5,000 new cases of cervical cancer are reported each year, with approximately 2,400 deaths.

The primary reason for this problem is the lack of regular screening for women.

Professor Dr. Lê Văn Quang, director of Hospital K, emphasised that breast cancer has a high chance of recovery, up to 90 per cent, when detected early, and treated promptly with the right approach.

Detecting breast cancer early improves survival, lowers morbidity and reduces the cost of care, if patients can be promptly diagnosed and properly treated.

However, the prerequisite remains the treatment of cancer in its early stages.

Screening and early detection of breast cancer as soon as women reach an age with a high risk of the disease (from the age of 40 onwards) are crucial.

Despite efforts to raise community awareness about breast cancer prevention and control in various provinces and cities in recent years, many Vietnamese women are still not proactive in undergoing breast cancer screenings.

Still, for various reasons, patients only visit hospitals when the disease is detected at an advanced stage. Even more concerning, some women, after being diagnosed with breast cancer, do not adhere to treatment but instead rely on unverified methods such as dietary changes, herbal remedies, causing delays in receiving proper medical care.

"When breast cancer has advanced and metastasised, the chances of recovery decrease significantly. Therefore, patients should undergo regular health check-ups and screenings to diagnose and treat the disease early," Dr Quang said.

In recent years, Việt Nam has made significant progress and various healthcare facilities have implemented screening programmes to identify breast cancer at an early stage, providing numerous patients with the opportunity for recovery or long-term disease management. — VNS