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Thursday, October 06, 2005
Drive seeks early detection, as breast cancer cases rise
By Jujemay G. Awit
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
For now there is no known cure for breast cancer, so it is best for women to lead a healthy lifestyle and have breast self-examinations regularly, according to a top surgeon.
Those who are obese or take large amounts of alcohol are at greater risk than most, said Dr. Mateo Tipgo of the Philippine College of Surgeons.
“While we cannot prevent breast cancer, we can detect it early, so we can treat it early. Early treatment means longer survival,” Tipgo said of the importance of regular breast exams.
But the self-examination is not just the random search for lumps. There is a proper stroke to follow. This is why women 20 and older should visit a breast cancer specialist, said Ronald delos Santos, coordinator of the Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center.
The center reported that close to 190 women in Metro Cebu are battling breast cancer. That number is rising.
The figure only accounts for cases reported in hospitals in Metro Cebu in 2002. That covers the cities of Cebu, Mandaue, Lapu-Lapu and Talisay, and seven towns, from Compostela in the north to San Fernando in the south.
Rising threat
But based on the trends, the cases have consistently increased, from 102 in 1998 to 159 in 2000.
In time for Pink October, the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, women and support groups have come out in the open to talk about the disease.
At least three women from Cebu put a face to the breast cancer menace during yesterday’s Kapihan sa PIA: Filomena Sy, Alice Gonzales and Mary Ann Solomon, who are battling cancer in different stages.
Sy has been declared cancer-free, after a radical mastectomy that removed one breast. Although she has to cope with the threat of recurrence, her battle has driven her to help other cancer patients.
She is currently the vice president of Cebu Cancer Fight, a support group for cancer patients and their families.
Sy also revealed to Sun.Star Cebu that although she’s glad she won the battle against cancer, she cannot help but think of those who are still fighting it.
Gonzales, for one, was diagnosed with cancer in the same year as Sy, in 2000.
Gonzales was declared cancer-free in 2003, but a year later, the cancer came back to haunt her.
The greatest battle she had to fight in relation to cancer was the cost of her treatments, said Gonzales.
When first diagnosed, she spent at least P90,000 for treatment, excluding her medication. After the second diagnosis, she spent P40,000, multiplied by eight cycles.
Gonzales and Sy agreed there is a lack of government support for breast cancer patients, who have to cope with huge expenses.
“The government is not doing enough, especially for indigent cancer patients. Lawmakers should also consider enacting laws to help the indigent with their medical expenses,” Sy said.
While support groups can help through awareness seminars, there is limited aid in terms of finances.
Meanwhile, life goes on for “hyper-active” Solomon, 44, who only learned last year that she has cancer. She was also told that she had to undergo treatment for five years.
“I was alarmed, it was a roller coaster of emotions: fear, denial, anger,” she said of her initial reaction.
But she added: “Breast cancer may be considered a death sentence, but because of this, I came to realize the love and the blessings that surround me.”
(October 6, 2005 issue)
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