A doctor at Bình Dân Hospital in HCM City explains scan results to a patient. The hospital is offering free prostate cancer screenings for 1,000 men to encourage early detection. — Photo courtesy of the hospital

HCM CITY — Bình Dân Hospital, in collaboration with the Project Việt Nam Foundation (PVNF), on Monday launched a free prostate cancer screening programme for 1,000 residents in HCM City.

The screening will run until the 1,000-person quota is reached.

Examinations are held at No 371 Điện Biên Phủ Street in HCM City.

The initiative aims to support the city’s universal health check-up campaign, focusing on early detection and raising public awareness about a disease that is often diagnosed too late.

The programme is open to men aged 50 and above, as well as men aged 40 and older who have a family history (father or brother) of prostate cancer.

Participants will receive free specialist consultations with urologists, general abdominal ultrasounds, and Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) blood tests – widely considered the "gold standard" for early detection.

Eligible residents can register via the hospital's hotline at (028) 3839 4747 or through their Zalo OA page between 7am and 4pm on weekdays.

According to Globocan 2022 data, prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men globally, with over 1.47 million new cases annually.

In Việt Nam, it ranks fourth among the most common cancers in men.

Medical experts have expressed concern over the high mortality rate of the disease in Việt Nam compared to Western nations.

This is largely attributed to late diagnoses, as many patients only seek medical attention when the cancer has already reached an advanced stage, significantly limiting treatment effectiveness. — VNS