A program to display screen ladies for cervical most cancers utilizing AI has been launched in Ho Chi Minh Metropolis in Vietnam.
Neighborhood organisation Ho Chi Minh Metropolis Public Well being Affiliation (HPHA) partnered with listed Australian firm TruScreen and its native distributor Gorton Well being Companies to run the community-based program, which goals to display screen 260,000 ladies within the metropolis over 5 years.
The partnership follows the signing of their preliminary memorandum of understanding in November.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
This system will utilise TruScreen’s cervical most cancers screening machine, which is powered by AI and has proven comparable accuracy to HPV DNA assessments and liquid-based cytology.
HPHA will maintain screenings for girls aged between 30 and 49 on the gynaecology clinics of the District Well being Centres and personal clinics whereas accumulating epidemiological information on cervical most cancers and pre-cancer. Tu Du Hospital, Hung Vuong Hospital, and Ung Buou Hospital will reportedly present technical help.
There’s additionally a plan to broaden this system to different provinces throughout Vietnam after the Ho Chi Minh Metropolis pilot.
WHY IT MATTERS
Round 4,000 Vietnamese ladies get identified with cervical most cancers every year, with round half dying. Given this vital burden, the Vietnamese authorities had set a objective of screening 60% of girls aged 30-54 for cervical most cancers, or an addressable inhabitants of 36 million. Nevertheless, solely 1 / 4 of them have been screened over the previous 5 years. In the meantime, HPV vaccination is but to be included in Vietnam’s nationwide immunisation schedule; the free administration of HPV vaccines will solely begin in 2026.
The HPHA selected TruScreen’s non-invasive AI-powered answer to handle the necessity for early, fast cervical most cancers detection in giant populations with out expensive cytology or laboratory infrastructure.
“This HPHA screening program may also function an necessary reference web site for neighbouring international locations who could also be contemplating an analogous large-scale screening program to enhance ladies’s well being,” added TruScreen CEO Marty Dillon.
THE LARGER TREND
Final yr, Fujifilm opened in Vietnam its first cancer-focused well being screening centre in Southeast Asia. The NURA centre, run by Vietnam Japan Well being Know-how, additionally leverages AI to help most cancers and life-style illness screening.
Apart from Vietnam, China is one other Asian nation that utilises AI in cervical most cancers screening. In 2019, the China Maternal and Little one Well being Care Affiliation and Wuhan College launched an AI and cloud-based diagnostic platform to help with the nation’s expanded cervical most cancers screening protection.
In different associated information, a brand new AI-driven cervical most cancers diagnostic system was granted regulatory approval in the US. Final yr, Hologic obtained the US Meals and Drug Administration’s clearance for its digital cytology system, which integrates deep studying and superior volumetric imaging expertise to detect pre-cancerous lesions and cervical most cancers cells. This diagnostic device has additionally been made obtainable in Australia and New Zealand.
