Cancer immunotherapy offers hope for lung cancer treatment

At present, lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer incidences and mortality in Vietnam. Nearly 30 per cent of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) are diagnosed in the early stages.

The goal of treatment is to cure the disease with standard therapies such as surgery to remove tumours and adjuvant chemotherapy. However, with standard therapies, there is a high risk of cancer returning.

In the past, adjuvant chemotherapy after surgery was a standard therapy for NSCLC patients. Poor overall survival and high recurrence risk are common in early-stage NSCLC despite curative surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy.

Today, medical evidence around the world confirms the effectiveness of immunotherapy for NSCLC patients.

Study findings published by The Lancet reveal that immunotherapy following radical surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy has significantly improved disease-free survival for early stage NSCLC patients against the best supportive care.

Data also shows that immunotherapy results in a 34 per cent reduced risk of recurrence or death in NSCLC patients and a 57 per cent reduced risk for high PD-L1-expressing patients.

In June 2023, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health, for the first time, approved immunotherapy after surgery alongside chemotherapy for early-stage NSCLC patients.

Le Van Quang, director of K Hospital, said, "Recurrence after treatment is one of the problems that non-small cell lung cancer patients have to cope with, despite early diagnosis and treatment. Immunotherapy with efficacy in reducing recurrence risk is one of the effective tools in multidisciplinary treatment."

Lennor Carrillo, general director of Roche Pharma Vietnam said, "Roche has strived to research solutions to enhance the chance of a cure for cancer patients, including immunotherapy. We are delighted that lung cancer patients in Vietnam can gain access to this advanced therapy and expect the best outcomes for real-life treatment."

At the conference, oncologists shared encouraging results for the real-life treatment of early stage NSCLC patients with immunotherapy.

Pham Cam Phuong, director of the Nuclear Medicine and Oncology Centre at Bach Mai Hospital, shared information on the treatment of a 70-year-old male patient diagnosed with early-stage non-small cell lung cancer in 2020. The patient received treatment in Singapore and Vietnam. Following laparoscopic thoracic resection of lung lobes with a tumour, lymph node dissection, and post-surgery evaluation, the patient continued to receive treatment with chemotherapy and adjuvant immunotherapy.

The patient has undergone regular check-ups and is now stable after nearly four years, with no recurrence detected.

Bright Future Fund and Roche launch 2023 breast cancer awareness campaign On October 19, the Bright Future Fund, in collaboration with Roche Pharma Vietnam, celebrated the kick-off event for "Joining hands for the women I love" campaign 2023 to raise awareness about breast cancer and improve women’s health.

Roche's decade-long commitment to improving women's health in Vietnam For Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Vietnamese Women's Day, Lennor Carrillo, general director of Roche Pharma Vietnam spoke with VIR's Thanh Van on Roche's 10 years of partnership for a healthier future for women, focusing on breast cancer care and raising awareness through free screenings and informative programmes.

Significant progress has been made in Vietnam's breast cancer fight The Vietnam Medical Association (VMA) and Roche Pharma Vietnam held a meeting on March 5 to review the first three years of a five-year partnership aimed at improving access to innovative therapies for high-risk breast cancer patients in Vietnam.