Cancer can be controlled: experts

KHÁNH HÒA — The development of new generation sequencing along with artificial intelligence help doctors quickly identify the best drugs for their patients, said doctor Phan Minh Liêm.

Addressing at workshop on next-generation sequencing and genomics in cancer precision medicine and screening held in the central province of Khánh Hòa yesterday, Liêm said with these technologies, genetic experts can analyse genomes, detect genetic mutations that increase the risk of cancer and provide appropriate cancer prevention counselling.

According to Liêm - who has been honoured four times by MD Anderson Cancer Centre in the United States, cancer is a deadly disease  in Việt Nam.

The treatment of diseases in Việt Nam is still limited as it based on monitoring the effects of drugs, but if detected early, cancer can be controlled, he said.

“The results of 20,000 gene sequencings provide important information about genetic mutations. The analysis of the genetic code will help medical specialists choose the right treatment, especially for cancer,” said Yun Yu, from MD Anderson Cancer Centre.

According to the Ministry of Health, more than 150,000 new cancer cases are detected yearly in Việt Nam. Of these, nearly 90,000 resulted in deaths, mainly due to late detection.

Việt Nam is among the countries with the highest rates of cancer mortality in the world at 74.8 per cent.

Cancer is a dangerous disease and claims the lives of more than 8 million people a year.

Liêm said that the number of people suffering from the disease could be cut if cancer screening technology was used well.

On this occasion, a Việt Nam-US Biomedical Institute was launched yesterday in Nha Trang City.

The institute will be the place for patients to receive information, counselling support and help finding the optimal drug for treatment from specialists at the MD Anderson Cancer Centre, the American Society for Clinical Pathology and the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics.

According to Trần Đình Thiên, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, the opening of the institute is a breakthrough, allowing Việt Nam to use the world’s advanced medical treatment.

It would help Vietnamese access cancer screening technology without having to visit Japan and Singapore as before, he said. 

Thiên said that successful transfer of technology for early detection and treatment of cancer at the Việt Nam-US Biomedical Institute demonstrates that the Vietnamese medical sector is fully capable of receiving the world’s advanced solutions, opening up opportunities for the best screening, treatment and lowest possible costs for patients in Việt Nam. — VNS