There are different kinds of medicines available in the country to help fight cancer, a doctor from the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) said.

Cancer is “now treatable,” especially with the current medical advances and innovations, said NKTI Medical Oncology Section Head Dr. Marvin Mendoza in a statement.

“Even at stage 4 or when a cancer has metastasized to other organs – be it breast, liver, cervical – there is hope for treatment, but even more so if they are diagnosed early,” said Mendoza.

He said that “medical innovation has progressed over the years to make treatment more effective and patient-considerate, as well as easier for healthcare providers to administer, reaching more patients in a timely manner.”

Medicines for different kinds of cancer are already available in the Philippines, said Mendoza.

“We can beat cancer now. We can save lives. And we are trying our best to make treatment accessible nationwide, especially to those who cannot afford the treatment. In particular, we have medicines for breast cancer and lymphoma available in the DOH (Department of Health) hospitals,” he said.

Mendoza said that the government is currently providing “targeted therapies” for two types of cancer: breast and lymphoma.

“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,” he said.

“Options for treatment include a subcutaneous injection that takes about five minutes to administer or a three-hour intravenous administration that also requires an additional two hours or so for preparation,” Mendoza explained.

However, “only about 200 or so patients can be accommodated nationwide” for this free treatment due to limited budget, said Mendoza.

Mendoza expressed hopes that the government will provide more funds for cancer treatment, especially for testing.

“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,” he said.