Upon hearing the C-word, it is normal to be momentarily paralyzed by fear, disbelief, or panic. The important thing is to quickly recover from these fears and start planning your way out of life’s toughest tests.

Cancer can be curable

Cancer can be curable. There are many cancer patients around the world who lead productive and happy lives; and you can be one of them! All you need are the right cancer information, a great medical and social support team, and unwavering faith and hope.


Get that second opinion!

When you’re diagnosed with cancer, do not hesitate to seek a second, or even third, medical opinion. A second opinion from a medical oncologist or cancer specialist may be necessary to confirm  your cancer diagnosis, its severity or any of your unanswered questions and concerns.

Aside from this, another doctor’s evaluation of your physical condition could provide a new perspective on your illness. Being aware of what ails you puts you in a better position to deal with it and prevail.


Partner with your medical team

In your journey to cancer recovery, a team composed of the most qualified and trusted medical experts can make a lot of difference. Your core pool of medical experts may include a medical oncologist, an oncology surgeon, and a radiation oncologist.

The medical oncologist is the one who will help you understand your condition well. Your medical oncologist will inform you about the complex nature of your cancer; the treatment options available, and which one is best suited for you; the side effects of your treatment; and the lifestyle changes that you have to undergo as you cope with the disease. During the course of treatment, your medical oncologist will also be the one to monitor your body’s response and prescribe the adjustments that must be made.

Biopsy of the tumor to confirm the diagnosis is done by the surgeon; if surgery is the therapy of choice, the oncology surgeon takes care of this treatment modality.   If chemotherapy or drug treatment is needed, this is given by your medical oncologist; if radiotherapy (for example, cobalt or linear) is needed, this is given by your radiation oncologist.

To ensure complete and meticulous care, a medical team consisting of your family physician, nurses, therapists, and other cancer treatment professionals (for example, pain, psychology, and rehabilitation medicine specialists) can support your core oncology team. You can add to this team an herbalist or a complimentary medicine expert. The important thing is that all current treatments and goals are complimentary and would benefit you most; and that the best minds are mainly working to your advantage.


Treatment Options

Part of a good partnership is the ability of both parties – patient and doctors – to openly communicate. Thus, it is important that not only do you trust your physicians, but you are comfortable with them as well.

Each cancer case is unique; that is why you and your medical team should carefully discuss before choosing which among the available cancer treatments or its combination is most effective. Some factors considered are the type of cancer, its size and location, and the patient’s general health. Cancer staging or determining the extent of the disease is crucial since each stage requires a different treatment decision.

Classified according to its spread, cancer disease can either be in situ, invasive, or metastatic. A cancer that is still at the original very microscopic site where it began is called “in situ.” The cancer is “invasive” if it has increased in a clinically detectable size but still with the original primary organ site; while a “metastatic” one has spread or started to spread to other parts of the body.

Currently, the various types of cancer treatments and drugs found in modern countries are also available in the Philippines. Cancer needs to have ‘strong’ modes of treatment; and being so, the treatment may have side effects that the patient could experience either strongly, moderately, mildly or not at all.

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