Experts: Cancer can be controlled

The development of new generation sequencing along with artificial intelligence help doctors quickly identify the best drugs for their patients. (Photo: ungthuvietnam.com)

Khanh Hoa (VNS/VNA) - The development of new generation sequencing along with artificial intelligence help doctors quickly identify the best drugs for their patients, said doctor Phan Minh Liem.

Addressing at workshop on next-generation sequencing and genomics in cancer precision medicine and screening held in the central province of Khanh Hoa on July 3, Liem 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 Liem - who has been honoured four times by MD Anderson Cancer Centre in the United States, cancer is a deadly disease in Vietnam. The treatment of diseases in Vietnam 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 Vietnam. Of these, nearly 90,000 resulted in deaths, mainly due to late detection.

Vietnam is among the countries with the highest rates of cancer mortality in the world at 74.8 percent. Cancer is a dangerous disease and claims the lives of more than 8 million people a year.

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

On this occasion, a Vietnam-US Biomedical Institute was launched on July 3 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 Tran Dinh Thien, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Economics, the opening of the institute is a breakthrough, allowing Vietnam 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.

Thien said that successful transfer of technology for early detection and treatment of cancer at the Vietnam-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 Vietnam.-VNS/VNA