Le Kieu Diem, 40, diagnosed with breast cancer was discharged from Hue General Hospital in stable condition on February 13, becoming the third cases successfully treated with stem cell therapy at the Hue General Hospital so far.

Prior two ovarian cancer patients – Tran Thi Thu, 49, and Le Thi Sau, 52, were also released from the hospital with the same therapy.

The success was the result of a national-level scientific project on applying stem cell therapy in treatment of breast and ovarian cancers which has been carried out by Deputy Director of the hospital Nguyen Duy Thang and his associates over two years.

According to Thang, the stem cell therapy has achieved initial achievements that open a new hope for breast and ovarian cancer patients at the critical state at the hospital in particular as well as the country’s health sector at large.

Vietnam has carried out stem cell research and application in medical treatment since the 1990s. The technology has been used in the treatment of blood diseases, cardiology, dermatology, brain paralysis, and surgery.

In 1995, the country conducted its first stem cell transplant for a 26-year-old patient with blood cancer.

By now, many hospitals have applied the technology in health treatment, including the Nghe An province’s Oncology Hospital, National Paediatric Hospital, Military Hospital 108 and August 19 Hospital, the Haematology and Blood Transfusion Hospital, Hospital 115.

Hundreds of stem cell transplants have been carried out nationwide so far, primarily for patients suffering from blood diseases.-VNA