Breast cancer has the highest incidence of all forms of cancer in the Philippines. Data from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer showed that the disease accounted for 17.7 percent of new cases reported in 2020.
To address this, the 6th Southeast Asian Breast Cancer Symposium (SEABCS) which is presented by the ICanServe Foundation brings together Medical professionals, healthcare workers, cancer survivors, patient groups, government, researchers from the region to discuss the latest updates on breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and to share their experiences.
Over 50 speakers from different parts of the world including Princess Dina Mired of Jordan, former President of the Union for International Cancer Control; Dr. Ben Anderson, an internationally recognized leader in cancer control from the World Health Organization; and Sec. Paulyn Ubial, former secretary of the Department of Health, will join moderators and panelists in a 3-day conference happening on September 23-25. The event will take place on-ground at Seda Hotel BGC and online via Zoom, with attendees from all over Southeast Asia.
“It’s an opportunity to figure out as a region how best to create and sustain a robust, responsive health system, to project what makes cancer in our region unique, so we are well represented in the global cancer space whether in the creation of global health initiatives, research, clinical trials, advocacy or access to grants. Ultimately, we want all breast cancer patients to have equal access to affordable, quality, timely care,” says Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala, ICanServe Founding President.
The ICanServe Foundation, Inc. is a Philippines-based advocacy group of breast cancer survivors and volunteers. It co-creates breast cancer control programs with local governments as part of its initiative to promote early breast cancer detection, access to accurate diagnosis and timely treatment, survivorship care, palliative care, hospice care and patient navigation.
“As host, ICanServe designed the event and the program with the help of partners,” Magsanoc-Alikpala says. “We struck a balance so we would appeal to different stakeholders, including those in the NGO space, not necessarily cancer focused. We have design thinking, social media, organizational management, even artificial intelligence-related topics. For the health professionals, we will introduce mostly new studies and breakthroughs. There are topics for cancer survivors at any point in their journey.”
Magsanoc-Alikpala encouraged people to join the symposium, saying that whether it is a breast cancer patient dealing with the effects of the treatment, Filipinas worried about diagnosis, or even family members that want to know how they could help their loved ones, there is an event in the conference that they could learn from. Registration is free at https://seabcsphilippines.ph/
