MANILA, Philippines – In celebration of National Cancer Consciousness Week, here are some things you need to know about this disease, which is characterized by unregulated cell growth.
In an interview on “Mornings@ANC” on Wednesday, executive director Rachael Marie Rosario of the Philippine Cancer Society debunked myths about cancer and shared the most common types of the disease.
1. Cancer is not just a health issue.
Rosario made it clear that cancer also has social, economic and development implications, and may even affect a person’s rights.
“It impacts on human rights in a way because people need access to hospitals, to treatment, and most especially in the last stages when probably there is pain. There’s a right for all of us not to be in pain,” she said.
“There is burden on your families. It’s not just you, but mainly it’s you,” she added. “Here in the Philippines for now, you have to spend out of pocket for these expenses, although PhilHealth and the DOH (Department of Health) are trying to help us with this.”
2. Cancer is not just a disease of the wealthy, elderly and developed countries.
According to Rosario, cancer is a global epidemic that affects all ages, with low- and middle-income countries bearing a disproportionate burden.
“Children also get affected. And it’s not limited to the wealthy,” she explained.
“Poverty can actually have an impact on getting cancer because we are less educated. And cancer can also cause poverty because it is expensive at times,” she added.
3. Cancer can be cured.
It is not automatically a death sentence, said Rosario, who maintained that some types of cancer can be cured at its early stages.
The problem, she said, is that most Filipinos do not undergo regular checkups, with others refusing to see a doctor even if they start feeling something wrong with their bodies.
“Generally, we say that if you get it or we diagnose it early on, then the chances for getting a cure are higher. The problem with us is that sometimes, when we sense something is wrong, we don’t go see the doctor,” she said.
“We always say that it might be bad news, that ‘I don’t want to go.’ But it’s there and you can’t just go into a wishful thinking mode or wish it away or pretend it’s not there,” she added.
4. Cancer can be prevented.
With the right strategies, more than one in every three cancer cases can be prevented, according to Rosario.
The key, she said, is living a healthy lifestyle and having regular checkups.
“We can prevent it and there are things that we can do,” Rosario stressed. “[For example] Do not smoke. If you are not smoking, do not try to smoke. If you are smoking, try to quit. If you cannot quit, then don’t go near other people when you smoke because they can get secondhand smoke.”
Rosario said some of the “preventable” cancers include lung, oral cavity (through tobacco control), liver (through a Hepatitis B vaccination), cervix (through a HPV vaccination), stomach, colon/rectum (through a healthy and balanced diet), skin (by avoiding extreme exposure to sunlight), breast (through regular self-breast examinations), thyroid and prostate.
5. Lung cancer is the top cancer among men in the Philippines.
Second on the list is liver cancer, followed by colon/rectum cancer.
The rest, according to Rosario, include prostate, stomach, leukemia, brain/nervous system, pharynx, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and kidney.
6. Breast cancer is the top cancer among women in the Philippines.
Cervix cancer ranks second, followed by lung, colon/rectum, ovary and liver.
The second half of the top ten, meanwhile, include uterus, leukemia, thyroid and stomach.
source: abs-cbnnews.com
