Cancer, one of the burdens shouldered by the global health sector, wasput on the table at an international seminar in the central province ofThua Thien-Hue on August 30.

The event, co-organised by theVietnam Cancer Association, Hue Central Hospital and Hue University ofMedicine and Pharmacy, saw the participation of over 400 delegates bothfrom home and abroad.

Associate Prof. Dr. Nguyen Duy Thang,Deputy Director of Hue Central Hospital, said cancer is one of theworld’s leading killers after heart disease, with about 12 million casesrecorded every year, resulting in 7 million deaths.

According to the doctor, in Vietnam, the figures stand at around 150,000 and 70,000 respectively.

Although the national target programme on cancer prevention hasexisted for many years, Vietnam’s health sector still faces a lot ofchallenges in fighting the deadly disease, Thang noted.

He pointed to overcrowding in cancer departments of hospitals and health centres as a pressing issue.

The seminar received 100 scientific reports from domestic andinternational cancer experts, under which they sought ways to treatvarious types of cancer.

Participants were updated on early detection and new treatment methods for lung, gastric and nasopharyngeal cancer.

According to the World Health Organisation, lung, stomach, liver,colon and breast cancer cause the most cancer deaths each year, whichare projected to rise to over 13.1 million in 2030.-VNA