Cancer education in Viet Nam: a need for foreign input

In Viet Nam cancer education has a low priority because of political and social factors. Knowledge about cancer staging and basic management principles is stagnated by restricted communication with foreign colleagues and by limitations of available techniques. Participation in either formal residency programs or conferences for continuing education outside Viet Nam is restricted to select individuals of high rank. Most foreign experience is gained from Russia or from the former Eastern-bloc nations. Available foreign textbooks and journals are limited to those published more than 20 years ago. Infectious diseases are the most significant health problem in Viet Nam and they indirectly contribute to the incidence of cancer, including the occurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma. A widespread epidemic of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), acquired both outside and within the medical system, is another potential consequence of current health care practices. The need for an international exchange of scientific knowledge is dramatically reinforced through the identification of significant deficits in available medical care and the patterns of mortality in this restricted society.