A recent report by the Asia Pacific Women’s Cancer Coalition (APAC WCC) underscores the pressing need for immediate investment and collaborative efforts to address the escalating burden of breast and cervical cancers in the Philippines and other emerging economies across the APAC region. This report outlines a comprehensive strategy to combat these diseases strategically, effectively, and sustainably.
According to APAC WCC’s report titled “Impact and Opportunity: Investing in Women’s Cancers in the Asia Pacific,” women in the Philippines and the broader APAC region face a disproportionately high risk of breast and cervical cancer compared to their global counterparts.
The report underscores the importance of establishing a national, accessible digital registry specifically for cancer. This registry would play a crucial role in ensuring timely and accurate information, robust monitoring and tracking systems, and improved follow-up treatments. It would also serve as a valuable resource for enhancing programs and services related to both cancers.
Supported by Roche and published by Economist Impact, the APAC WCC report delves into the burden of breast and cervical cancer across six countries in the Asia Pacific region. It identifies region-specific gaps and opportunities for improvement.
The report highlights the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global initiatives aimed at accelerating the elimination of cervical cancer and reducing breast cancer mortality sustainably. Building on these initiatives, the APAC WCC calls upon countries in the Asia Pacific to identify, create, and seize opportunities for progress to meet WHO targets.
Dr. Heather White, executive director of TogetHER for Health and a founding member of the APAC WCC, emphasizes the discrepancies in the region’s readiness to combat women’s cancers. She notes that none of the countries studied have comprehensively addressed these diseases, indicating the need to explore various prevention and control approaches to inform national and regional cancer control strategies.
In the Philippines, the situation is dire, with only 1 percent of women aged 35 to 49 having undergone cervical cancer screening in the past five years, according to WHO’s cervical cancer country profile. Furthermore, there is no nationwide breast cancer screening program, as reported by the European Journal on Breast Health. However, under the Philippines’ Universal Health Care (UHC) Act, Philhealth is mandated to fully fund cervical and breast cancer screening for women aged 22 to 55, making a strong case for government investment.
The report also highlights the Philippines’ current healthcare spending, which is below the global average, with limited access to advanced treatments in the public sector and high out-of-pocket costs. As the Philippines endeavors to implement the new National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA), organizations like APAC WCC see an opportunity to alleviate the financial burden on cancer patients by expanding access, especially for innovative treatments, under UHC.
Ahmed Elhusseiny, area head at Roche Pharmaceuticals Asia Pacific, underscores the undeniable health risks faced by women in the APAC region and calls for prioritizing women’s health through political commitment, robust planning, improved screening and prevention efforts, equitable access, capacity-building, funding, and awareness campaigns to achieve WHO targets for breast cancer and the elimination of cervical cancer.
Lance Little, managing director of Roche Diagnostics, emphasizes the importance of a collective approach involving partners throughout the healthcare ecosystem to address the highlighted gaps and issues, ultimately benefiting the many women already living with cancer and safeguarding future generations from this menacing threat.
