Financial toxicity in patients with cancer: a cross-sectional study at an oncology hospital in central Vietnam.

PURPOSE: Cancer imposes a substantial financial burden on patients because of the high out-of-pocket expenses and the significant hardships. Financial toxicity describes the impact of cancer care costs at the patient level. Although the financial impact of cancer has been recognized, understanding the extent and determinants of financial toxicity in specific contexts is crucial. This study investigated the level of financial toxicity and its associated factors among patients with cancer at an oncology hospital in central Vietnam. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 334 patients with cancer. Direct interviews and medical record reviews were used for data collection. Financial toxicity was assessed using the 11-item Comprehensive Score for financial Toxicity (COST). A logistic regression model was used to determine factors associated with financial toxicity. RESULTS: A notable 87.7% of patients experienced financial toxicity due to cancer cost, with 37.7% experiencing mild financial toxicity and 49.7% suffering from moderate financial toxicity, 0.3% reporting severe financial toxicity. Individuals with low household income exhibited a higher proportion of financial toxicity compared to that of those with higher income (odds ratio (OR) = 5.78, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.29-25.68). Compared with that of participants in the early stages, a higher burden was found in patients with advanced-stage cancer (OR = 3.88, 95% CI: 1.36-11.11). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that patients with cancer in Vietnam facefinancial toxicity. It is thus necessary for interventions to mitigate the financial burden on patients with cancer, focusing on vulnerable individuals and patients in the advanced stages.

Secondhand Smoke and Socio-Demographic Associated Factors: Results From the Vietnam Population-Based Provincial Global Adult Tobacco Survey in 2022.

Background: Secondhand smoke (SHS) has detrimental effects on community health, including coronary heart diseases, stroke, lung cancer etc. This manuscript exploited data from the Vietnam Population-based Provincial Global Adult Tobacco Survey (PGATS) in 2022 to update the prevalence of adult exposure to SHS and associated socio-demographic factors. Methods: With the sample size of 71,981 adults aged 15+ throughout 30 provinces and cities in Vietnam, data was collected using the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS) questionnaire. Bivariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression modelling were performed. Results: In the past 30 days, 44.4% (95% CI: 44.0%-44.9%) adults aged 15+ exposed to SHS at home while 23.1% (95% CI: 22.6%-23.6%) exposed to SHS at work. Female exposure to SHS in the past 30 days was higher at homes but lower at indoor workplaces. Participants aged 15-24 were likely to have higher odds of SHS exposure in the past 30 days to other age groups. Those living in the urban areas had 1.15 times higher odds (95% CI: 1.08-1.22) of exposure to SHS than those in the rural areas. Current smokers tended to have 2.2 times higher odds of exposure to SHS at the indoor workplaces compared to non-smokers (95% CI: 2.05-2.37). Conclusions: The prevalence of exposure to SHS at home was still relatively high amongst the adult population. While there was a significant reduction of SHS exposure at indoor workplaces, there was a higher prevalence of women being exposed to SHS at home. The Government of Vietnam should continue to strictly implement the smoke-free environment resolution at indoor workplaces and appropriate communication campaigns to protect people, especially women from SHS exposure at homes.

Selective detection of HBV pre-genomic RNA in chronic hepatitis B patients using a novel RT-PCR assay.

In chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients, quantification of HBV pgRNA in plasma has the potential to provide information on disease prognosis and liver injury or histopathology. However, current methods for detecting HBV pgRNA present technical difficulties due to the co-existence of HBV DNA in plasma samples. We have successfully established a novel one-step RT-PCR assay that allows selective quantification of HBV pgRNA. Two cohorts of participants were recruited for assay validation, including treatment-naïve patients with CHB and HBeAg-positive CHB patients who were treated with Tenofovir and monitored for 6 months to assess the predictive value of baseline HBV RNA for HBeAg seroclearance. Statistical analysis was performed using MedCalc version 20.019 software. The novel selective one-step RT-PCR assay for detecting HBV pgRNA was validated with a limit of detection of 100 copies/mL. The assay was able to selectively measure HBV pgRNA even in the presence of excess HBV rcDNA. In treatment-naïve CHB patients, HBV pgRNA levels were significantly lower than HBV DNA concentration. Serum HBV DNA levels and HBeAg status were positively associated with HBV pgRNA. Baseline serum HBV pgRNA levels were found to be strong predictors of HBeAg seroclearance after 6 months of Tenofovir treatment. The study presents a novel RT-PCR assay that allows accurate measurement of plasma HBV pgRNA in chronic hepatitis B patients, even in the presence of excess HBV DNA. The assay is highly selective and represents a significant advancement with potential for further breakthroughs in understanding the clinical significance of HBV pgRNA.

Does National Colorectal Cancer Screening Program Represent Good Value for Money? Results from a Return-on-Investment Model in Vietnam.

To provide important evidence for the resource allocation process in Vietnam, this research was conducted to explore the return on investment (ROI) of the national colorectal cancer (CRC) screening program. A decision tree model was designed to estimate the cost and cost savings of a national screening program (ie, providing annual fecal occult blood test [FOBT], following with colonoscopy in case of FOBT positive for the medium-risk group over 50 years old) compared to no screening scenario. This was the first attempt in estimating the ROI of a public health program in Vietnam. Although there was a wide variation due to the uncertainty of the input parameters, especially regarding the coverage of the colorectal cancer screening program in the community, the calculated ROI rates in all different cases were positive, demonstrating that the national colorectal cancer screening program brought benefits to the investment. With a modest coverage of 30% of the population over the age of 50, the corresponding ROI value was 325.4% (95%UI: 321.0; 329.9). The results of this study could be used to advocate for the implementation of a national colorectal cancer screening program in terms of the monetary benefits of investing in the program.

Direct and indirect costs of smoking in Vietnam.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the direct and indirect costs of active smoking in Vietnam. METHOD: A prevalence-based disease-specific cost of illness approach was utilised to calculate the costs related to five smoking-related diseases: lung cancer, cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischaemic heart disease and stroke. Data on healthcare came from an original survey, hospital records and official government statistics. Morbidity and mortality due to smoking combined with the average per capita income were used to calculate the indirect costs of smoking by applying the human capital approach. The smoking-attributable fraction was calculated using the adjusted relative risk values from phase II of the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study (CPS-II). Costs were classified as personal, governmental and health insurance costs. RESULTS: The total economic cost of smoking in 2011 was estimated at 24 679.9 billion Vietnamese dong (VND), equivalent to US$1173.2 million or approximately 0.97% of the 2011 gross domestic product. The direct costs of inpatient and outpatient care reached 9896.2 billion VND (US$470.4 million) and 2567.2 billion VND (US$122.0 million), respectively. The government's contribution to these costs was 4534.3 billion VND (US$215.5 million), which was equivalent to 5.76% of its 2011 healthcare budget. The indirect costs (productivity loss) due to morbidity and mortality were 2652.9 billion VND (US$126.1 million) and 9563.5 billion VND (US$454.6 million), respectively. These indirect costs represent about 49.5% of the total costs of smoking. CONCLUSIONS: Tobacco consumption has large negative consequences on the Vietnamese economy.

Efficacious rat model displays non-toxic effect with Korean beechwood creosote: a possible antibiotic substitute.

Wood creosote, an herbal anti-diarrheal and a mixture of major volatile compounds, was tested for its non-toxicological effects, using a rat model, with the objective to use the creosote as an antibiotic substitute. A total of 30 Sprague-Dawley rats were studied to form five groups with 6 rats each. Korea beechwood creosote was supplemented into three test groups with 0.03 g/kg, 0.07 g/kg and 0.1 g/kg body weight/day without antibiotic support, along with a positive control of Apramycin sulphate (at 0.5% of the daily feed) and a negative control. Korean beechwood creosote supplementation showed no negative effect on the body weight gain in comparison to the negative and the positive control groups and the feed conversion ratio was also comparable with that of the control groups. The clinical pathology parameters studied were also under the umbrella of normal range, including liver specific enzymes, blood glucose, total protein, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), which indicated no toxic effect of creosote at the given doses. The non-hepatotoxic effect was also confirmed using hepatic damage specific molecular markers like Tim-p1, Tim-p2 and Tgf-ß1. The results suggested that Korean beechwood may be used as antibiotic substitute in weanling pigs feed without any toxic effect on the body. Although the antimicrobial properties of creosote were not absolutely similar to those of apramycin sulphate, they were comparable.