Cancer is an increasingly pressing issue in the Philippines. The disease is now the third leading cause of death in the country, with 250 Filipinos losing their lives to cancer every day.
In response to this growing need, MSD in the Philippines’ Hope From Within cancer advocacy campaign hosts a media forum titled “Making Cancer Care Innovation Accessible to Every Juan”. This event hosted by broadcast journalist and health advocate Nina Corpuz, brings together local and foreign health experts, cancer patients, and health champions to discuss how cancer innovations and resource-appropriate interventions can help close the cancer care gaps in the country.
The forum also puts into spotlight how the proper implementation and funding of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act can help improve access to earlier diagnosis and more efficient treatment to improve patient outcomes and survivorship.
During the forum, local and foreign medical experts discussed the leading cancer types such as lung, triple-negative breast cancer, head and neck.
Lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, affecting 2.2 million people in 2020.
Furthermore, lung cancer is the 2nd leading cancer site and leading cause of mortality among all types of cancer in the Philippines.
Lung cancer can be classified into two types, small cell lung cancer and non-small cell lung cancer, with the latter being the most common, accounting for over 80 percent of cases.
Meanwhile, head and neck cancers affect the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, and salivary glands. It is the seventh most common cancer in the world, with 1.1 million new diagnoses annually. In the Philippines, there are approximately 7,000 new cases of head and neck cancer each year.
Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) on the other hand is a subtype of breast cancer that does not have estrogen, progesterone, or HER2 receptors. TNBC grows and spreads faster, has fewer treatment options, and tends to have a worse prognosis than other types of invasive breast cancer.
Fortunately, being diagnosed with cancer is no longer a death sentence. There are treatment options available to help patients fight the disease, including surgery, radiation therapy, and innovative therapies such as immunotherapy and targeted therapy. With the right treatment plan, cancer patients can hope to beat the disease and live healthy, fulfilling lives. The challenge now is to these cancer innovations available and accessible to every Filipino patient.
The National Integrated Cancer Control Act or NICCA, enacted in 2019, aims to improve cancer prevention, survivorship, and access to cancer care for Filipinos. To ensure that said landmark health legislation is properly implemented and adequately funded, a Call for Solidarity against Cancer was drafted by patient groups and cancer advocates to appeal to the government to increase funding and progressively implement the provisions of the NICCA, “mindful of the need to act with urgency, because cancer does not wait.”
The solidarity statement also highlights the need to intensify and expand public and private collaboration in cancer care. Ultimately, cancer patients, survivors, their families, as well as cancer advocate groups, are also called to augment conversations on cancer care, treatment, and life after cancer.
