In many low- and middle-income countries such as Vietnam, breast cancer often goes undiagnosed until late stages. If it is discovered, there are only a few surgeons (if any) trained to perform breast cancer reconstruction. As a result, breast reconstruction is a distant concept, even to many local physicians or oncologists. In Vietnam, there is a negative stigma around breast cancer. Breast cancer is a private matter, rarely discussed openly in communities and cultures. Additionally, research shows that patients are less likely to receive breast reconstruction in rural areas. Similarly, high costs and limited reimbursement impede women worldwide’s access to the procedure.
ReSurge’s breast cancer care program in Vietnam is the first of its kind in the region, elevating Vietnam’s capacity to provide care and treatment for breast cancer locally. ReSurge surgical partner and pioneer, Dr. Trung Hau, is the first plastic surgeon in Central Vietnam to perform breast cancer reconstruction. Each week, Dr. Trung Hau and his team perform one to two breast cancer reconstruction surgeries. After accessing these transformational surgeries, many of his patients have gone on to form cancer support groups to help each other through their cancer treatments and recovery.
ReSurge also sends Medical Volunteers like Dr. Dung Nguyen, the Director of Breast Reconstruction at Stanford, and Dr. Suzanne Inchauste, a plastic surgeon at UW Medicine’s Center for Reconstructive Surgery, to train with Dr. Trung Hau’s residents and other surgical trainees and ensure sustainable care for survivors and skill development for future generations. This includes training women surgeons from various parts of the world in ReSurge’s Pioneering Women in Reconstructive Surgery Program to deliver breast cancer care and pioneer access to it locally in their home countries. Thus, the mission is twofold: to provide critical care to breast cancer survivors who can’t afford or access the surgery and to train a new generation of local surgeons.
These initiatives enable breast cancer survivors, who would otherwise be unable to afford or access reconstructive surgery, to receive care. They also provide a critical training ground for the next generation of local surgeons.
New York Plastic Surgical Group established a fund at ReSurge International to honor the late Dr. Vincent DiGregorio and sustain his commitment to providing medical care and surgical training to populations in need. Please consider making a donation to this fund to support breast reconstruction on a global level.
