The grim statistics were highlighted by Dr. Nguyen Thi Thai Hoa, Head of the Internal Medicine Department 2 at K Hospital, during a recent scientific seminar. She noted that about 75 percent of patients are diagnosed at late stages, underscoring the urgency of the issue.
The seminar series, titled “Long-Term Survival Expectations for Patients with Advanced and Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Through Immunotherapy,” was organized by Hanoi Medical University in partnership with MSD Vietnam. The events, held in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, drew nearly 400 medical experts.
Dr. Thai Hoa pointed out that for patients who are no longer candidates for surgery, the emergence of immunotherapy has been a game-changer. The seminars featured presentations from both local and international experts, including Professor Dr. Balazs Halmos of Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center and Associate Professor Dr. Jung-Seop Eom of Pusan National University Hospital.
They presented a decade of real-world data, confirming that immunotherapy offers substantial long-term benefits for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, regardless of their PD-L1 expression levels. This growing body of evidence is enabling physicians to make more confident, personalized treatment decisions, providing new hope for patients facing this challenging diagnosis.
According to Dr. Phan Trong Giao, Medical Director of MSD Vietnam, over the past decade, immunotherapy—pioneered and introduced to Vietnam by MSD—has not only extended survival time but also significantly improved quality of life for patients, thereby contributing positively to treatment outcomes at national oncology centers.
He further emphasized MSD's commitment to supporting patients, expressing hope that immunotherapy will soon be included in the national health insurance reimbursement list. Such inclusion, he noted, would enable more Vietnamese patients to sustainably access this advanced treatment, ease financial burdens, and open up greater opportunities for survival.
Dr. Le Tuan Anh, Head of the Department of Chemoradiotherapy and Director of the Oncology Center at Cho Ray Hospital, added: "We have observed clear improvements in both quality of life and treatment response among patients receiving immunotherapy. This marks an important step forward in personalized cancer treatment, a trend that is increasingly emphasized in Vietnam."
