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On the morning of November 30th, 2019, Cho Ray Hospital in collaboration with FV Hospital held a scientific seminar on the topic: “Application of New Techniques in Cancer Treatment in Vietnam” at the Intercontinental Hotel, 82 Hai Ba Trung, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City. The symposium was participated by Dr Le Tuan Anh, MD. Ph.D, Director of the Oncology Centre of Cho Ray Hospital who chaired the event as well as by speakers who are leading experts in the field of radiotherapy in Vietnam and abroad. The seminar attracted the attendance of more than 200 radiologists and technicians in Ho Chi Minh City.
During the seminar, the speakers gave presentations helping to share information on modern techniques in the radiotherapy sector as well as practical experiences to improve the quality of cancer treatment in the Vietnamese medical community. Talks included: Prof. Renaud de Crevoisier, Head of Department of Radiotherapy, The Eugene Marquis Centre, France, who spoke on the topic From IGRT to Adaptive RT; Dr Basma M’Barek, Head of Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre, FV Hospital who focused on New Technology in Radiotherapy; and Dr Nguyen Ngoc Bao Hoang, from the Oncology Centre, Cho Ray Hospital who shared on VMAT Technology Combining ABC – DIBH: New Standard in Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer. A discussion session including the chair and all the speakers was then held at the end of the seminar to address any questions raised by the attending doctors.
According to a report by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, in 2018 more than 300,000 people in Vietnam were suffering from this disease, and this figure is constantly in escalation. However, improvements in science and technology have been bringing a variety of efficient solutions for treatment. Some cancers completely turn manageable in cases of early detection and precise treatment. Among modern cancer treatments, radiation therapy plays a key role with it being used in 60-70% of the total number of cancer treatment cases. Radiotherapy can be applicable to many cancers at various tumour areas, stages and sizes, whether it is used independently or in combination with other methods to improve the effectiveness of the treatment. Therefore, radiation therapy is attentively being researched, developed and improved to bring optimal treatment results and minimize side effects for cancer patients, helping patients not only prolong their lives but also improve the quality of their life during and after treatment.
In particular, the dose-modulation technique of VMAT, in combination with 4D image CT scan, helps to accurately determine the location and shape of the tumour, including mobile tumours in lung cancer, thereby improving the accuracy and efficiency of the treatment. At the same time, the dose-modulation technique helps to shorten the time of each radiation session, as well as shorten the number of radiation treatments. This ensures optimal efficiency and minimizes side effects for patients. Such a technique is currently being applied in developed countries in the treatment of cancers such as; head and neck, prostate, breast, nasopharynx, and brain tumours. In addition to requiring modern equipment and technology, it is necessary to have a team of doctors, physicists and radiologists who are technically and experiencedly trained. Therefore, this technique is currently only being implemented in some major hospitals and centres in Vietnam, including Cho Ray Hospital and Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre of FV Hospital.
Dr Le Tuan Anh, MD. Ph.D, Director of the Oncology Centre of Cho Ray Hospital had an opening speech who chaired the event
Prof. Renaud de Crevoisier, Head of Department of Radiotherapy, The Eugene Marquis Centre, France, spoke on the topic “From IGRT to Adaptive RT”
Dr Basma M’Barek, Head of Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre, FV Hospital focused on “New Technology in Radiotherapy”
Dr Nguyen Ngoc Bao Hoang, from the Oncology Centre, Cho Ray Hospital shared on “VMAT Technology Combining ABC – DIBH: New Standard in Radiotherapy for Breast Cancer”
Discussion session among the speakers at the symposium
Master Lam Dinh Tuan Hai, Deputy Director, Training Center directed by the Cho Ray Hospital gave the thank you letter to the speakers
Speaker’s Bio:
Professor Renaud de Crevoisier – Head of Department of Radiotherapy, The Eugène Marquis Centre, France
Prof Renaud de Crevoisier currently works at the Department of Radiotherapy at the Eugène Marquis Cancer Centre, France and teaches at the Laboratoire Traitement du Signal et de l’Image (LTSI), Beaulieu, Rennes 1 University, Bat 22, 35042 Rennes, France. Professor Renaud is also a co-leader of the INSERM 642/LTSI (Laboratoire Traitement du Signal et de l’Image) which seeks to improve tumour targeting. Professor Renaud used to hold the positions of:
- Head of IMPACT Division at LTSI (Laboratoire Traitement du Signal et de l’Image), University of Rennes, INSERM 1099
- Board of Directors for Programme hospitalier de recherche clinique (PHRC), The French National Cancer Institute (2019-2022)
- Board of Directors for the French network for preclinical research in oncological radiotherapy (RADIOTRANSNET) (2019-2022)
- Board of Directors for Groupe d’étude des tumeurs urogénitales in France (GETUG)
- Member of the Strategic Committee of the National Cancer Centre Network (Unicancer, 2019-2022)
Doctor Basma M’Barek – Head of Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre, FV Hospital:
Graduating in a general medical specialty at the Université Paris-Sud 11 and becoming an oncologist at the age of 26, Dr Basma M’Barek was the youngest dean in France before coming to Vietnam to take on the role as Head of the Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre of FV Hospital. Dr Basma has 18 years of clinical experience, 15 years of applying Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) and 10 years of applying VMAT technology in cancer treatment at major hospitals in France and Europe. With innovative thinking and a desire for exploring advanced treatments, Dr Basma has participated in many intensive training courses on cancer and radiotherapy technology such as; a Master’s degree in Human Genetics, a Certificate of Psychology in Cancer, as well as on head and neck cancer, radiation therapy, new radiotherapy technology, among others, at the Université Paris-Sud 11 and the International Atomic Energy Agency, (AEIA) which are members of the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO).
Areas of expertise:
- Radiotherapy
- Precise treatment
- Immunotherapy
- Palliative care
Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Bao Hoang – Oncology Centre, Cho Ray Hospital
Dr Nguyen Ngoc Bao Hoang graduated from Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 2004. By 2013, Doctor Bao Hoang finished a Master’s degree in Cancer at Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy and a Ph.D in Cancer at Hanoi Medical University in 2017. In addition, Dr Bao Hoang also participated in intensive training courses on Radiotherapy in Australia and Taiwan, and Chemotherapy in France.
Dr Nguyen Ngoc Bao Hoang has expertise in radiation, chemotherapy and palliative care in cancer treatment. With more than 15 years of experience working at Cho Ray Hospital, Dr Bao Hoang is an expert in cancer treatment with many valuable scientific works on medicine and treating cancer patients.
Introduction of Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre
Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre is the cancer treatment centre of FV Hospital, having modern complete and comprehensive facilities and providing comprehensive diagnostic, disease identification and treatment services with highly effective palliative care at one central place. With over 15 years being in operation, Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre has provided treatment care for over 80,000 cancer patients with a high success rate with many patients keeping healthy 5, 10 or even 15 years after treatment. Such patients are still monitored at FV until now.
In 2018, with the investment of more than $120 billion, FV Hospital looked to develop its facilities, and expand its accommodation to be able to receive 80-100 patients per day for direct consultations with treatment experts. The chemotherapy treatment area now consists of 17 sets of treatment chairs and beds for up to 25 patients per day. Most of this investment sum is to equip the centre with one of the most modern and advanced radiotherapy systems in the world. Its aim is to be able to increase the number of patients, up to 80 patients per day, who can receive radiation therapy at Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre.
Comprehensive treatment includes the most modern digital linear accelerator, Elekta Infinity; applying VMAT technology, which allows accurate treatment on the tumour with optimal dosage, fast speeds, and being harmless for the surrounding healthy tissue; the latest CT simulation, GE brands, which accurately identifies and simulates the location and size of the tumour; and the latest generation of spectrophotometer systems, the Spect-CT 2018, for Nuclear Medicine treatment which yields precisely the progression and bone metastases of cancer patients.
Besides comprehensive equipment and convenient facilities, Hy Vong Cancer Care Centre benefits from a comprehensive team including internal medicine doctors, physicians, technicians and nurses, both French and Vietnamese, who are well trained and experienced in domestic and foreign hospitals.
Every case of cancer is reviewed through a multi-specialty consultation, including oncologists, radiologists, radiologists, surgeons, internal medicine physicians, among others, to approach the cases in a diverse way and then provide an optimal treatment plan in accordance with the condition of each patient.
