A National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) doctor on Friday called on for more funding for cancer screening tests in the country.
Dr. Marvin Mendoza, head of the NKTI’s Medical Oncology section, said early detection of cancer could help save more lives. Mendoza said that there are about 27,000 new breast cancer cases detected annually.
“If we have to save more lives, we need more funds from the government not just for treatment but for testing because early diagnosis and treatment is far more effective than treating late-stage disease,” Mendoza said in a report posted on ABS-CBN News Friday.
Even at Stage 4 or when a cancer has metastasized to other organs, whether breast, liver or cervical, the disease is treatable and even more so if diagnosed early, the oncologist said.
The Philippine government provides targeted therapies for 2 types of cancer—breast and lymphoma.
Mendoza said, for breast cancer patients who cannot afford the P300,000 to P450,000 needed to go through the required 18 treatment cycles, they can go to at least 23 public hospitals throughout the country for free treatment.
"Options for treatment include a subcutaneous injection that takes about 5 minutes to administer or a 3-hour intravenous administration that also requires an additional 2 hours or so for preparation,” he said.
However, only about 200 or so patients can be accommodated nationwide because the Department of Health (DOH) was given only less than P1 billion for this program, Mendoza lamented.
The DOH has said that it was granted P500 million for this year's cancer assistance fund.