20,000 Vietnamese die of liver cancer each year

HANOI: Some 20,000 Vietnamese people die of liver cancer each year, according to the Vietnam Liver and Bile Association on Wednesday.

The high cancer death rate is attributed to late diagnosis and treatment, the association said, noting that few Vietnamese people pay attention to their livers' health.

Vietnam also has high numbers of hepatitis patients and heavy drinkers who are prone to cirrhosis and liver cancer. According to incomplete statistics, 10 percent of the country's population abuse alcoholic drinks.

Vietnam, with a population of some 95 million, currently has 7.8 million of hepatitis B patients, and 991,000 hepatitis C cases, according to the Health Ministry.

Among the hepatitis B patients, over 51,000 suffer from cirrhosis and more than 14,000 others from liver cancer; and among the hepatitis C patients, over 13,000 suffer from cirrhosis, and nearly 6,000 from liver cancer.

Vietnam detects some 126,000 sufferers from cancer of various kinds, and witnesses 94,000 deaths caused by the diseases each year, according to statistics from the ministry.