Gastrointestinal cancer is often detected at a late stage. What do experts recommend?

Nowadays, diseases of the digestive tract and pancreas are increasingly common. Most patients are detected at a late stage, with poor prognosis, especially for chronic and malignant diseases...

The 10th Gastroenterology Scientific Conference of Bach Mai Hospital - Nagoya Asia Gastroenterology Development Association (NAG) took place today (November 15) at Bach Mai Hospital with the participation of leading domestic and international experts from Japan, Thailand... to connect and share experiences in early detection of gastrointestinal diseases such as esophageal, colon, stomach cancer... through endoscopy, especially with advanced endoscopic techniques combined with current AI technology.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Van Giap - Deputy Director of Bach Mai Hospital: The 10th Digestive Conference of Bach Mai Hospital and NAG continues to affirm the common commitment in creating modern medicine, improving the quality of diagnosis and treatment for Vietnamese patients.

Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Cong Long, Director of the Center for Digestive and Hepatobiliary Diseases (Bach Mai Hospital), said that diseases of the digestive tract and pancreatic bile are increasingly common. Most patients are detected at a late stage, with poor prognosis, especially for chronic and malignant diseases.

Cancer screening helps detect and diagnose early, along with early treatment regimens, which will help many patients have the opportunity to prolong their lives and have a high chance of recovery.

With the remarkable development of endoscopy technology, most digestive diseases, including early stage cancer, can be detected promptly.

Bach Mai Hospital is currently implementing the endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) technique – a pioneering method from Japan in the treatment of early gastrointestinal cancer. Precancerous lesions, often in the form of colorectal polyps, when detected early can be completely removed by ESD, helping patients recover completely without open surgery.

According to Associate Professor Long, the modern endoscopy system allows experts to accurately assess the extent of damage – benign or malignant, whether there is mucosal invasion or not – thereby deciding whether ESD is appropriate. If detected at an early stage, the patient only needs a colonoscopy to separate the mucosal area containing cancer. This is a minimally invasive method, helping to treat thoroughly without requiring a long recovery time.

Domestic and international experts attended the 10th Gastroenterology Scientific Conference of Bach Mai Hospital - Nagoya Asia Gastroenterology Development Association (NAG),

Associate Professor Long added that recently, endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-based interventions for diseases have increased to bring more opportunities to patients.

This technique is very important in diagnosing cancer at an early stage or detecting tumors deep in the abdomen with minimal invasiveness. However, in Vietnam, the number of medical centers with EUS and doctors who can use EUS is still limited.

Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Cong Long emphasized that people should not wait for symptoms to go for screening for digestive diseases. When there is abdominal pain, weight loss, bloody stools, etc., the cancer is often in the late stages. Accordingly, everyone, even healthy people, should have their first colonoscopy at the age of 40. This is the most effective way to detect cancer or precancerous polyps early, and remove them before they become malignant.

The 10th Gastroenterology Scientific Conference of Bach Mai Hospital - Nagoya Asia Gastroenterology Development Association (NAG) focused on sharing information on the submucosal dissection (ESD) technique - a pioneering technology developed in Japan - along with application experience in treating precancerous lesions and early cancers of the digestive tract.

Many doctors at the Gastroenterology - Hepatobiliary Center were trained at Nagoya University Hospital under the guidance of Professor Goto and are now mastering ESD techniques in treatment in Vietnam.

Along with that, updated reports on endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) applications in diagnosis and intervention of biliary-pancreatic diseases from Japan, Taiwan (China) and Thailand were presented.

International experts and Bach Mai Hospital discussed endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) to treat precancerous lesions and early-stage gastrointestinal cancers. Photo courtesy.

Currently, Bach Mai Hospital is committed to continuing to invest synchronously in equipment and human resources, helping the field of digestive endoscopy catch up with world medical advances.

As the final line, the Digestive - Hepatobiliary Center (Bach Mai Hospital) performs 800-1,000 endoscopies every day. This workload serves patients nationwide and creates a large source of data for research and training.

"We are one of the largest training centers in the country. Every year, hundreds of doctors and nurses from provinces and cities come to study, practice and receive the most modern techniques. This contributes to improving the quality of medical examination and treatment on a large scale, helping local people have the opportunity to access advanced medicine without having to go to the central level" - Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Cong Long said, and expressed: With the development of technology and the initiative of people in screening, we can completely reduce the burden of gastrointestinal cancer significantly.

Source: https://suckhoedoisong.vn/ung-thu-duong-tieu-hoa-thuong-phat-hien-da-o-giai-doan-muon-chuyen-gia-khuyen-cao-gi-169251115154029261.htm