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Johnson & Johnson and Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital Partner to Expand Cancer Treatment...
Johnson & Johnson and Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital Partner to Expand Cancer Treatment Availability

Johnson & Johnson collaborates with Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital to enhance cancer treatment availability

In a significant move towards advancing healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors in Vietnam, Johnson & Johnson Vietnam has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital. The partnership aims to optimize treatment pathways for lung and prostate cancers, and enhance multidisciplinary collaboration among healthcare professionals.

The focus of this collaboration is to stay competitive and improve public health in Vietnam. According to the latest statistics, lung cancer is a significant health issue in the country, with over 24,000 new cases diagnosed and more than 22,000 lives claimed due to the disease in 2022. Lung cancer remains the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Vietnam.

About three-quarters of lung cancer patients in Vietnam are diagnosed at advanced stages, underscoring the importance of early detection and treatment. The partnership will focus on increasing awareness and diagnosis of mutations in non-small cell lung cancer, which accounts for 80 to 85 percent of all lung cancer cases.

Next-generation sequencing testing will be expanded as part of the collaboration, allowing for more precise diagnosis and treatment of these cases. This advancement in molecular testing and precision medicine is crucial, especially in the context of non-small cell lung cancer, where patients with rare genetic alterations such as EGFR exon 20 insertions face greater challenges due to their mutations being often resistant to standard therapies, leaving limited treatment options and poorer prognoses compared to more common EGFR mutations.

The importance of this partnership extends to prostate cancer as well. In 2022, prostate cancer was the fifth most commonly diagnosed cancer for males in Vietnam, with nearly 5,900 new cases reported. Prostate cancer accounted for 2.3 percent of all cancer-related deaths in Vietnam in the same year.

The MoU reinforces referral pathways between Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital and 13 satellite hospitals across Vietnam. This collaboration will also strengthen medical knowledge-sharing and training among healthcare professionals, ensuring that the latest treatments and best practices are accessible to patients across the country.

Upendra Patkie, general director of Johnson & Johnson Vietnam, stated a commitment to delivering innovative treatments that extend life and improve its quality. Electronic medical records (EMRs) are being implemented as part of this partnership, bringing benefits to patients such as the ability to store different types of documents and easily compare test results and general check-ups.

The institution that will collaborate with Johnson & Johnson Vietnam under the new cooperation agreement in cancer treatment is not explicitly mentioned in the provided search results. Nonetheless, this partnership marks a significant step forward in Vietnam's efforts to improve its healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, and to combat the ongoing challenges posed by lung and prostate cancers.

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