Leading Singaporean thoracic surgeon and lung cancer specialist, Dr Su Jang Wen, is first of many top Singaporean experts to be brought into FV Hospital
Ho Chi Minh City, 15th August 2024 – FV Hospital, a member of Thomson Medical Group, partners Singapore’s O2 Healthcare Group a member of OUE Healthcare Limited to set up the first regional Thoracic Surgery Centre in Vietnam. As part of this collaboration, Dr Su Jang Wen, a leading cardiothoracic surgeon and lung cancer specialist from O2 Healthcare Group, will provide treatment for patients at this new centre.
Dr Su received advanced training in thoracic and cardiovascular surgery in the United States. Of the more than 7,000 lung, heart, and oesophageal surgeries he has performed since 2007, 95% have been conducted using video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), a minimally invasive technique with incisions of only 1.5 to 3 cm. This advanced technique yields high success rates for a variety of thoracic conditions, including lung cancer, mediastinal tumours, chest wall surgery, pleural conditions, sympathetic nerve surgery, and oesophageal surgery. Dr Su has maintained an impressive record of zero post-operative mortality in elective surgeries.
O2 Healthcare Group, a leading lung specialist group in Singapore, is known for its advanced medical care. With a team of 11 respiratory physicians and 2 cardiothoracic surgeons, the group excels in lung care across Southeast Asia, offering comprehensive and personalised treatments for various lung conditions.
The establishment of a regional FV Thoracic Surgery Centre will greatly enhance the success rate of lung cancer treatment at FV Hospital and in Vietnam. Through this collaboration FV Hospital can offer cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment options for lung cancer and complex thoracic conditions at affordable prices for patients in Vietnam. Starting today, Vietnamese patients can register for treatment with Dr Su at the FV Thoracic Surgery Centre.
Lung cancer is one of the most prevalent and fatal cancers in Vietnam, affecting both male and female. Cancer accounts for 19% of all deaths in Vietnam, with lung cancer being the second most common cancer and also the second leading cause of death since 2012. In 2020, there were an estimated 26,262 new cases and 23,797 deaths [1]. More than 90% of lung cancer cases are linked to smoking. Unfortunately, most patients are diagnosed at a late stage, making treatment difficult and costly.
According to Dr Su’s experience, when diagnosed early the 5-year survival rate post-surgery without chemotherapy can be as high as 99% for stage 0 (meaning pre-invasive lung cancer), and as high as 92% for stage 1A, which is a tumour limited to the lung, with no metastatic dissemination to distant organs or lymph node). The survival rate drops considerably at later stages (for stage 2 the survival rate drops to 40% ad for stage 3 it’s 15%, most patients dying within a year after the diagnostic. Source of data: Cancer Research UK)
Early detection is crucial and FV Hospital offers lung cancer screening using Low Dose Computerized Tomography (“CT”) Scan. The American Cancer Society recommends annual lung cancer screening with a low-dose CT scan for patients aged 50 to 80 years who have smoking history.
Dr Su is privileged to share his over 20 years of knowledge and experience in thoracic surgery, particularly in complex thoracic procedures, with doctors at FV Hospital. He believes that by working together as a team, they will be able to provide high-standard, international-level thoracic surgery services not only to patients in Vietnam, but to the entire region.
Dr Jean-Marcel Guillon, CEO of FV Hospital, said “The first regional Thoracic Surgery Centre in Vietnam, co-founded by FV Hospital and O2 Health Group, will offer diagnostic and surgical treatment services for all thoracic conditions, including lung cancer, mediastinal tumours, oesophageal cancer, pneumothorax, chest wall conditions, and sympathetic nerve resection. Additionally, we will collaborate with lung specialists in Vietnam to conduct early lung cancer screenings. From now on, lung cancer patients and those with complex thoracic conditions will no longer need to travel to Singapore for treatment. They can receive high-quality care right here at FV Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, at a fraction of the price they would pay in Singapore”.
“The FV Hospital medical team is excited about this collaboration with Singapore’s leading surgeons, as it will significantly enhance the treatment of complex cases at FV Hospital. This partnership also provides an opportunity for our medical staff to gain hands-on experience, exchange knowledge, and improve their skills”. He added
A Wave of Top Singaporean Doctors is Set to Arrive at FV Hospital to Enhance the Treatment of Complex Conditions and Actively Transfer Knowledge And Techniques.
The collaboration between FV Hospital and O2 Healthcare Group marks the beginning of an influx of top specialists from Singapore to FV Hospital to offer cutting-edge diagnostic and treatment options at affordable prices and at the patients’ doorstep.
Present at the signing ceremony between FV Hospital and O2 Healthcare Group on August 15, 2024, at FV Hospital, Dr Melvin Heng, CEO of Thomson Medical Group, said: “O2 Healthcare Group is the first of 11 major medical centres in Singapore that we are partnering with to bring top specialists from Singapore to provide treatment to patients at FV Hospital. These specialists will address complex conditions in fields such as TAVR cardiac interventions, electrophysiology, vascular surgery, spinal surgery, neurosurgery, pelvic surgery, urological cancer surgery, head and neck surgery, liver treatment, oncology, and general surgery”.
[1] https://www.jto.org/article/S1556-0864(21)02229-2/fulltext
