Cure for cancer

Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—“Mabait naman ako, doc. Bakit ako nagka-cancer?”

It is difficult to hear this oft-repeated question. It equates cancer with punishment. It is an attempt by a person fighting for his life to understand what is going on with his body. It is also a bargaining chip when one pleads his case to a Superior Being. I’ve been good; spare me from this.

Cancer patients may feel that they are being punished and it takes hefty counseling to convince them otherwise. It is simple logic though. If lung cancer was punishment for a life spent smoking, then why don’t all smokers develop cancer? Some smokers develop other diseases like emphysema and bronchiectasis. If one developed cancer because of drinking alcohol, then why don’t all drinkers develop cancer? Why do some drinkers develop liver cirrhosis?

Don’t get me wrong. Smoking and alcohol are really associated with the development of certain kinds of cancers but it is unfortunately not as simple as that. How many cancer patients never smoked or never drank?

The point is that the cancer question still does not have a satisfactory answer. Cancer has many causes. Modern science still does not know all those causes. Is it bad habits? Is it just bad habits? Is it a cancer gene? Is it exposure to a poison? Is it an environmental problem? Could it have been prevented? Is it a combination of everything? All anyone can do is live as healthy a life as possible and hope that whatever triggers cancer is kept dormant forever.

The good news is that there are now many ways to treat and cure cancer. Cancer is not necessarily a death sentence.

In the Philippines, the medical profession boasts of some of the best cancer surgeons, the best medical oncologists (those who treat cancer with chemotherapy) and the best radiation oncologists (those who treat cancer with radiotherapy). Many of our hospitals have world-class cancer centers, although these admittedly are in the major cities.

Another piece of good news is that all forms of cancer treatment are available in the Philippines. Other than privacy, there is very little reason to seek cancer treatment abroad. The important thing is to have multidisciplinary treatment—that is, a cancer patient’s surgeon, medical oncologist and radiation oncologist should be coordinating with each other regarding the best plan of management. For it does not take a genius to figure out that no two patients are exactly the same.

From Feb. 22 to 26, radiotherapy specialists from the Philippines (Philippine Radiation Oncology Society) and Southeast Asia (Southeast Asian Radiation Oncology Group) will be meeting with experts from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (Astro) and the International Atomic Energy Agency to discuss treatment strategies for the most common cancers in Southeast Asia. This is another effort to improve the state-of-the-art treatment and help cancer patients have a good figh,

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer