Understanding the burden and factors related to chemotherapy-induced toxicity is important in treatment planning for breast cancer patients. We conducted a prospective study among 396 newly diagnosed and chemotherapy-treated breast cancer patients recruited in two major cancer hospitals in northern Vietnam. Toxicities were captured through medical chart reviews and patient self-reports and graded using NCI CTCAE classification. Associations for sociodemographic and clinical factors with chemotherapy-induced toxicities during first-line chemotherapy were evaluated via multivariable logistic regression. Severe (i.e., grade ≥ 3) hematological (38.6%), and gastrointestinal (12.9%) toxicities were common. A pre-existing nephrological condition was significantly associated with the risk of severe hematological toxicity with adjusted odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of 2.30 (1.32–4.01). Patients living in rural areas had a lower risk of severe hematological toxicity (OR = 0.48; 95% CI, 0.30–0.77). Patients diagnosed with stage II and stage III–IV had a lower risk of severe gastrointestinal toxicity with ORs and 95% CIs of 0.26 (0.12–0.59) and 0.47 (0.20–1.10), respectively. Triple-negative/basal-like subtype was associated with a higher risk of severe hematological (OR = 3.15; 95% CI, 1.56–6.34) and gastrointestinal toxicities (OR = 3.60; 95% CI, 1.45–8.95) comparing to hormone receptor (HR)-positive HER2-negative subtype. Further research investigating underlying mechanisms would facilitate the development and delivery of personalized treatment and care plans.

The aim of the study was to investigate health-related quality of life among Vietnamese breast cancer women who were treated at National Cancer Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam, in 2018. Information about physical functioning, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, vitality, Social Functioning, Role Emotional, and Mental Health of 200 patients with breast cancer was collected through face-to-face interview, using short form-36 questionnaire. We found that the older patients (older than 50 years) had higher score of Mental Health than patients at age 50 and lower (P < .05). The patients who had better economic status had significantly higher score of Vitality (P < .05). Patients who were married and living with their partners/husband had better quality of life in General Health (P<0.05). The patients who had less than 6 months of treatment had better physical functioning score (P < .05) than the patients who had treatment longer than 6 months. Patients with caring supports from family members had higher scores of Bodily Pain, Social Functioning, Role Emotional, and Mental Health. Patients who have stressed feelings had significantly lower scores of all domains, except for Physical Functioning. The participants who usually stay up late reported lower scores of all components except for Physical Functioning and Role Physical. In conclusion, it is needed to develop psychosocial services, enhance early screening, and diagnose for the women in Vietnam.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether the Western dietary guidelines on fruit and vegetable intake are associated with blood pressure parameters and hypertension among Vietnamese adults. Participants included 1384 women and 1049 men aged 18–69 years from the 2015 Vietnam national survey on risk factors of non-communicable diseases. Associations between dietary intake score based on the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) guidelines and World Health Organization recommendations on fruit and vegetable consumption and blood pressure parameters and hypertension were evaluated by multivariate regression analyses. Approximately 17.0% and 40.1% of participants met the respective definitions of hypertension according to Joint National Committee 7 (JNC7) and 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) Hypertension Guideline. Highest tertiles of DASH scores for fruit intake were significantly associated with increased blood pressure parameters, particularly in women. Hypertension was associated with DASH score for fruit intake with odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for tertiles 2–3 versus tertile 1: 1.31 (0.98, 1.76) and 1.43 (1.05, 1.93) for JNC7; 1.26 (1.01, 1.58) and 1.31 (1.04, 1.66) for 2017 ACC/AHA guideline (all p-trend <0.05). No association with blood pressure parameters and hypertension was observed for DASH score for vegetable intake and meeting World Health Organization recommendations for fruit and vegetable intake. We found an unexpected positive association between DASH score for fruit intake and blood pressure parameters and hypertension among Vietnamese adults. More research is needed in this population to understand the relationship between vegetable and fruit intake with hypertension before a firm conclusion and recommendation are made.

PURPOSE: Gut microbiota play an important role in human health, including cancer. Cancer and its treatment, in turn, may alter the gut microbiome. To understand this complex relationship, we profiled the gut microbiome of 356 Vietnamese patients with breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Stool samples were collected before chemotherapy, with 162 pre- and 194 postsurgery. The gut microbiome was measured by shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Associations of gut microbial diversity, taxa abundance, and gut microbiome health index (GMHI) with sociodemographic, clinical factors, and tumor characteristics were evaluated. RESULTS: Postsurgery samples were associated with significantly lower α- and β-diversities ( P < .001) and showed significant differences in the abundance of 15% of 2,864 investigated taxa (false discovery rate [FDR] <0.1) compared with presurgery samples. An unhealthy gut microbiome was prevalent among patients with breast cancer, with a mean GMHI of –0.79 and –2.81 in pre- and postsurgery stool samples, respectively. In an analysis of 162 presurgery stool samples, diagnosis delay was significantly associated with lower α-diversity, variation in β-diversity, an increased abundance of species Enorma massiliensis, and a decreased abundance of Faecalicoccus pleomorphus. High intake of fiber was significantly associated with lower α-diversity and a higher abundance of species belonging to Bifidobacterium, Prevotella, and Bacteroides gena (FDR < 0.1). We did not find that cancer stage and subtype, menopausal status, comorbidity, antibiotic use during 3 months before stool collection, or physical activity was significantly associated with α- and β-diversities or GMHI although a few significant differences were observed in taxa abundance. CONCLUSION: Our study revealed that diagnosis delay, high fiber intake, and breast cancer surgery, which is always followed by antibiotic prophylaxis in Vietnam, led to a less diverse and unhealthy gut microbiome among patients with breast cancer.

Aim: Healthcare workers have directly provided care for COVID-19 patients, and have faced many additional sources leading to poor mental health. The study aimed to investigate the mental health problems and related factors among healthcare staff in Vietnam.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional mixed methods study, combining quantitative and qualitative research methods, was performed among 400 healthcare workers working at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases and Ninh Binh General Hospital from the first day of treatment for COVID-19 patients to May 01, 2020.Results: The results showed that 8.0% of participants had stress, 17.5% of participants had anxiety, and 14.8% of participants had depression. Approximately 50% of participants reported that they had at least one of these symptoms. The findings illustrated that stress, anxiety, and depression were associated with the position in a hospital, health status during the COVID-19 pandemic, family members/relatives infected with COVID-19, physical and mental support from friends, family, and community, department, years of working, and the average work hours per day of healthcare workers exposed to COVID-19.Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers who worked in the hospital providing treatment and care for COVID-19 patients dealt with mental health problems such as stress, anxiety, and depression. It is necessary to promote mental health among healthcare workers, to contribute to the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak in Vietnam.