The Philippine College of Surgeons Cancer Commission (PCS CanCom) Foundation is encouraging the public to have cancer screening tests as early diagnosis is vital to higher survival among cancer patients.
Based on data from PCS Cancer Foundation, the majority or 85% of those who get cancer are due to aging or unhealthy lifestyle and the remaining 15% are genetic or hereditary.
A surgeon and specialist on colorectal cancer, Dr. Manuel Francisco Roxas, who is also a chairperson of the PCS CanCom, stressed that the key to cancer survival is early diagnosis.
“For the majority of cancers when diagnosed early, they’re curable so, cancer can be curable when diagnosed early,” Mr. Roxas said during the recent Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.
Mr. Roxas, who is also a medical director of the Ayala-owned Healthway Cancer Care Hospital, raised concern that cancer is the third leading cause of death among Filipinos and is projected to rise due to the country’s aging population.
In addition, Department of Health (DoH) Secretary Ted Herbosa informed the PCS Cancer Foundation that the government is planning to implement a program promoting cancer screening.
“The health chief said the DoH wants to focus on cancer screening and prevention if the government’s screening program is good for the population of all healthy Filipinos. We will pick up cancer early, and hopefully, late-stage cancer will decrease, better survivors and less cost for expensive treatment,” Mr. Roxas said.
Meanwhile, the PCS CanCom is looking forward to constructing the Philippine Cancer Center (PCC).
“The Philippine Cancer Center will focus on the less common cancers, the more complicated cancers and they will be expert on it. For the more common cancers, the DoH hospitals with cancer centers will be more than ready to take care of them,” he said.
The construction of PCC which is reportedly set to rise in East Avenue in Quezon City, is part of the mandate of the Philippine National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) which was signed into law in February 2019. The NICCA includes wide-ranging provisions covering the development of national and regional cancer centers.
Currently, the country has 35 designated cancer control centers.
In observance of World Cancer Awareness Day, the PCS CanCom together with the DoH, Cancer Coalition Philippines (CCPh), and the Philippine Cancer Society are convening a Philippine Cancer Summit this year, which will be held from Feb. 29 to March 1, 2024, to provide free cancer screening examinations at Novotel in Quezon City, where mobile buses will also be deployed for free screening for the public.
They also organized a fun run and a cancer summit on Feb. 11, 2024, at the CCP Complex. This will give the opportunity to avail free cancer screenings for breast, cervix, prostate, and thyroid for participants.
Included in the event are a cancer screening examination for participants for 100 breast, 150 thyroid, 60 cervical, and 50 prostate, and distribution of educational materials for the screening, diagnosis, and management of the different types of cancers.
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