Background and Aims: The burden of breast cancer in Vietnam has not been documented. This study sought to estimate the incidence of breast cancer in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest economic center of Vietnam, from 1996 to 2015.Methods: This was a population-based study using the Ho Chi Minh City Cancer Registry as a source of data (coverage period: 1996 - 2015). The Registry adopted the International Classification of Diseases for Oncology, 3rd Edition for the classification of primary sites and

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... orphology, and guidelines from the International Agency for Research on Cancer and the International Association of Cancer Registries. Using the population statistics from census data of Ho Chi Minh City, the point incidence of breast cancer for each 5-year period was estimated. Based on the national population, we calculated the age-standardized rate (ASR) of breast cancer between 1996 and 2015.Results: Overall 14,222 new cases of breast cancer (13,498 women, or 95%) had been registered during the 1996-2015 period; among whom, just over half (52%) were in the 2nd stage, and 26% in the 3rd and and 4th stages. In women, the median age at diagnosis was 50 years and there was a slight increase over time. The age-standardized incidence rate of breast cancer during 2011-2015 period was 21.5 cases per 100,000 women, representing an increase of 70% compared to the rate in 1996-2000 period. In men, there was also a significant increase in the age-standardized incidence rate: from 0.22 during the 1996-2001 period to 0.46 per 100,000 men during the 2011-2015 period.Conclusions: These very first data from Vietnam suggest that although the incidence of breast cancer in Vietnam remains relatively low, it has increased over time, and that the increase was mainly attributable to those age groups of 50 and 70.