Undersecretary Maria Rosario S. Vergeire emphasized the Department of Health's (DOH) commitment to addressing thyroid cancer by prioritizing the development of comprehensive guidelines for standardizing patient care during the National Thyroid Awareness Week webinar series on Sept. 25.

The guidelines encompass a comprehensive range of care, including primary care screening, detection, diagnosis, treatment, support, survivorship, follow-up care, rehabilitation, and validation, demonstrating the DOH’s commitment to enhancing the quality of thyroid cancer care, she said.

During the webinar, DOH-Disease Prevention and Control Bureau-Cancer Control Division Program Manager Clarito U. Cairo Jr. highlighted the department's focus on thyroid cancer patient journey and primary prevention.

Cairo emphasized that the Universal Health Care (UHC) Law, which is population-based, covers primary prevention and screening for asymptomatic patients.

Population-based care, primarily involving preventive measures, is part of the DOH's primary care provider networks in rural health units and mall-based clinics, he said.

“It can also be found in the public health units of hospitals, as all hospitals are now required to have public health units that provide population-based services, such as lectures about risk factors, vaccinations to prevent cancers like the human papillomavirus vaccine, and the hepatitis B vaccine,” Cairo pointed out.

He noted that early diagnosis requires patients with symptoms to complete their diagnosis, which includes supportive care and palliative care. 

Supportive care involves managing and preventing the adverse effects of both the disease and its treatment, as some treatments may have adverse effects, he added.

Meanwhile, Cairo said palliative care focuses on improving the quality of life for patients.

It encompasses the period from diagnosis through recovery if the patient is treatable or through end-of-life care if the condition cannot be cured, he explained. (Zekinah Elize Espina)