When cancer "knocks on the door" of young people
Among the 8 cancer cases detected through screening at the Center for Nuclear Medicine and Oncology, Bach Mai Hospital, there are 5 breast cancer cases, with very young patients, only 28 and 31 years old.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Cam Phuong - Director of the Center for Nuclear Medicine and Oncology; Bach Mai Hospital said that the trend of cancer in young people is becoming increasingly clear, especially with breast cancer. This is a worrying reality, but also a strong reminder of the role of early screening in protecting health.
According to statistics, Vietnam records more than 24,000 new cases of breast cancer each year. Notably, the number of cases in the 30-40 age group is trending upwards.
Experts believe that the "rejuvenation" of breast cancer poses a major challenge to community health care. However, in the face of this reality, people need to look at it calmly, scientifically, avoid confusion but also not be subjective.
People with a family history of cancer are identified as a high-risk group, and need to pay special attention to early and periodic screening. This is an important factor to help increase the chance of detecting the disease from the early stages.
Trap" of feeling healthy
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Cam Phuong warned that one of the worrying things today is that many young people believe that they are healthy and have few diseases, so cancer is "somewhere very far away". But in reality, cancer can appear even when the body has not sent out clear signals.
The common point of the young patients just discovered at Bach Mai is that they all have no obvious abnormalities. They come to the hospital only for the purpose of health check-ups, periodic screenings and unexpectedly discovering the disease.
If you wait until the body is in pain, the tumor is touched or invasive lesions appear before going for examination, the chance of treatment will be significantly reduced. Meanwhile, thanks to the support of modern techniques such as ultrasound, mammography, MRI, many lesions can be detected from a very early stage", Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pham Cam Phuong said.
Breast cancer, if detected from an early stage, the survival rate after 5 years can reach over 90%. Early detection not only helps improve the possibility of successful treatment but also creates conditions to preserve the mammary gland, maintain aesthetics, reduce psychological pressure and save significant costs for patients.
If detected early, patients have a higher chance of recovery, and intervention methods are also gentler and less invasive. Conversely, when the disease is detected late, treatment is often complicated, requiring a combination of many methods such as extensive surgery, chemotherapy, and prolonged radiation therapy, causing serious erosion of patients' health and finances.
In the context of increasingly younger cancer, going to the doctor should no longer be seen as "old people's business". For young people, especially Gen Z, periodic health check-ups should be considered an investment for the future, a manifestation of a modern, proactive and responsible lifestyle for oneself.
