ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Very few population-based cancer survival studies have been performed in Viet Nam. The aim of the present study was to estimate observed and relative cancer survival rates in populations of Phu Tho, Hanoi and Hue city. METHODS: A retrospective-cohort study was performed for all 12 districts of Phu Tho province (semi-highland area in the north), eight districts of Hanoi city (Capital) and four districts of Hue city in central area). Seven indicators were collected for each case of cancer death: name, age, sex, date of the first diagnosis having cancer, date of death, the cause of death and full address. Two steps were done. Firstly, we collected name, age, sex, date of death, the cause of death and full address; secondly, we collected date of the first diagnosis having cancer by a household visit by trained interviewer. Survival time was calculated from the date of death minus the date of diagnosis for each case of cancer. Observed survival rates for 1-year, 2-years, 3-years, 4-years and 5-years were estimated by the form of survival number multiplied by 100 then corrected for the registered number of cancer cases. For relative survival rates, the observed survival rates were corrected for the general population survival rate. RESULTS: Males and females combined, for all cancer sites, 1-year, 2-year, 3-year, 4-year and 5-year observed and relative survival rates were 23.8%-23.9%, 8.5%-8.5%, 3.8%-3.8%, 2.6%-2.6%, 1.7%-1.7%, respectively. The highest one-year relative cancer survival rate was seen in the capital, Hanoi city (49,8%), followed by Hue city in the central area (24,7%), and the lowest in Phu Tho, north-semi-highland (21.8%). CONCLUSIONS: The better cancer survival in Hanoi than in Phu Tho province, as well as the results overall, point to a need for greater efforts in early detection and treatment, especially in rural areas.