Cancer treatment: There have been many new techniques

Every year, there are about 10 million new cases of cancer worldwide and about 6 million people die of cancer. However, at present, there are quite a number of cancers that can be prevented and treated with the constant progress of science. Prof. Nguyen Chan Hung, Director of Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital, said .

Types of cancer are common in both men and women, an annual global estimate shows (see chart below)

7 common cancers in the world are cancer:
Lung, breast, colon, stomach, liver, prostate, cervix.

- Lungs : 1.35 million people. This cancer, also known as bronchial cancer (bronchial), always accounts for the highest proportion in developed and developing countries. Lung cancer is clearly related to smoking habits.

- Breast: 1.15 million people, the most common disease in women.

- Colorectal or colon: 1.02 million, the disease is common in industrialized countries. The disease arises due to diet in industrialized society, more and more fast food and less vegetables.

- Stomach: 934,000 people, the main reason is caused by Helicobacter Pylori infection. Stomach cancer has a lot to do with the habit of eating long-term food such as dried salted fish, smoked food, pickled pickles and fish sauce.

- Liver: 626,000 people, liver cancer related to viral hepatitis. Statistics show that 75% of people with liver cancer are associated with hepatitis B and C. In addition, in the tropics, Aspergillus-infected cereals increase the risk of liver cancer.

- Prostate: 679,000 people and will double in the next 20 years due to an increase in the number of elderly people.

- Cervix: there are 493,000 new cases worldwide annually, 82% are due to HPV infection.

In Vietnam, there are about 100,000-150,000 new cases of cancer every year and about 70,000 people die of cancer.

Prof. Nguyen Chan Hung

In Vietnam, through research in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, 10 common types of cancer in men are: liver, lungs, stomach, colorectal, prostate, oral cavity, pharynx, esophagus, lymphoma, disease white blood cells. In women, the cervix, breast, colorectal, lung, stomach, liver, ovary, thyroid, uterine body, leukemia.

The following is the exchange between VietNamNet reporter and Prof. Nguyen Chan Hung about cancer-related issues that many people are most concerned about.

* Can the cancer be prevented?

- Prof. Nguyen Chan Hung: According to the World Health Organization, one-third of people with cancer worldwide are preventable.

Types of lung, liver, stomach, rectal and rectal cancers are difficult to treat, most are detected late and have high mortality rates. However, these are preventable cancers.

To prevent lung cancer, to avoid tobacco because 85% of lung cancer in men and 47% in women is due to smoking.

Liver cancer can be prevented by getting vaccinated to get rid of hepatitis.

For stomach cancer, you need to eat a diet high in vegetables and fresh food.

Colorectal cancer is closely related to the consumption of meat, animal fat and fiber. Epidemiological studies also show that the body lacks exercise, obesity clearly affects this disease.

With current advanced diagnostic techniques, cervical cancer and breast cancer can be detected early and treated well. 10% of breast cancer is hereditary (mainly due to mutations of BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 genes).

The main risks of breast cancer are related to sexual factors, obesity, alcohol, physical activity, taking extra hormones such as birth control pills, hormone replacement therapy .

* Many people believe that, having cancer is sure to die . Is that true?

- Prof. Nguyen Chan Hung: In the past few decades, scientists have gone very far in discovering and responding to cancer.

Currently, surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the three standard therapies for cancer treatment. These three therapies are becoming more and more powerful and more effective for patients. The combination of surgery-radiation-chemotherapy or multimodal therapy when applied has optimal results.

Recently, the anti-cancer arsenal has been enhanced with new therapies that are clinically tested and very promising in the near future. Some have been used for treatment with clear indications for treatment with positive results: biological therapy and targeted therapy.

Surgery is just one of many treatments for cancer

* What are those new techniques?

- Prof. Nguyen Chan Hung: These new techniques, including:

1. Biological or immunotherapeutic therapies

Today for the treatment of cancer, besides three weapons including surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy, immunotherapy is considered a fourth weapon.

Immunotherapy is sometimes used alone, but is often used as a supportive therapy to help add anti-cancer effects to the main therapy. In recent years, there has been significant progress in this area:

2. Anti-cancer vaccines-

This is called active immunotherapy: Currently, the vaccine is being tested clinically with malignant melanoma patients (melanoma skin cancer), kidney cell cancer, cancers and leukemia. colon, prostate cancer and lymphoma.

3. Monoclonal antibody therapies:

Is passive immunotherapy because antibodies are produced in large numbers outside the body at the compass, not the patient's immune system. They can be effective even if the patient's immune system is too weak. There are 2 types of monoclonal antibodies:

- Plain monoclonal antibodies: Currently there are 2 drugs used by the US FDA: Rituxan (rituximab) and Herceptin (trastuzumab). Rituxan is used to treat a type of lymphoma, while Herceptin treats severe-stage breast cancer. This therapy has helped some patients when the standard treatment is out of effect.

- Monoclonal antibodies that bind drugs or radioactive substances: are used as a means of transporting anti-cancer drugs or radioactive substances straight to the cancer cell to kill it.

4. Targeted therapy:

These therapies use drugs to block the growth and spread of cancer. They interfere with specific molecules in the mechanism of cancer proliferation and growth of tumors. Because researchers call these molecules 'molecular targets', they should be called targeted therapies. Most of these therapies are still in pre-clinical testing but some are already in clinical trials and some have been approved for release.

* In Vietnam, have these new therapies been applied, PGS?

Prof. Nguyen Chan Hung: Because it is a new drug, the price is very expensive. Hopefully, when the price of drugs decreases, people in developing countries will have the opportunity to approach new treatments.

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