90% of lung cancer cases are caused by smoking

Lung cancer rates in men are three times higher than in women. Smokers have a 15 to 30 times higher risk of lung cancer than non-smokers.

The above information was given by Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan at the launching ceremony of the communication campaign to raise awareness of early detection of lung cancer in 2023 called "Thuong Lung" with the message "Screen now, cure early" organized by the Ministry of Health and the Cancer Patient Support Fund - Bright Tomorrow in Hanoi, August 13.

According to GLOBOCAN global cancer statistics, in 2020, in Vietnam, the incidence of lung cancer ranked second with more than 26 thousand new cases, accounting for 14.4%, and nearly 24 thousand deaths from this disease. The rate of lung cancer in men is 3 times higher than in women. For every 100,000 Vietnamese people, 36 men and 12 women are diagnosed with lung cancer.

Regarding the relationship between lung cancer and tobacco, Deputy Minister Thuan said that over 90% of people with lung cancer are related to tobacco. Smokers are 15 to 30 times more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers. In addition, exposure to secondhand smoke also increases the risk of lung cancer by 20-30%. The 2020 Global Tobacco Survey in Vietnamese adults showed that the rate of smoking among men was 42.3% and among women was 1.7%, which is quite high, posing challenges for lung cancer prevention.

Doctors screen for lung cancer for Hanoi residents on the morning of August 13.

“Lung cancer treatment is very complicated, but up to 75% of patients detect lung cancer at a late stage. If detected at stage 1, treatment is very simple, patients only need surgery, but at stages 2 and 3, patients must combine chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy with costs dozens of times higher. Therefore, screening for early detection of lung cancer is especially important,” Deputy Minister Thuan emphasized.

Deputy Minister Thuan also said that because the number of cancer cases in Vietnam is still quite high and many patients come to the doctor late, the Ministry of Health is proposing to amend the Law on Health Insurance (HI), which stipulates that the HI fund will pay for early cancer screening. Currently, the HI fund only pays for medical examination and treatment for patients with suspected signs or who have cancer.

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