Need for Strong Support System for Immunotherapy Innovation Treatment for Lung Cancer Cited

Innovations in lung cancer treatment are giving hope to those afflicted with the disease, but availability of the best option must be ensured for those high-risk populations as well as creating awareness on the importance of early diagnosis for better health outcomes and maximizing the use of the country’s resources for delivery of health services.

This was emphasized in a media forum about lung cancer held at Diamond Hotel in Manila on Wednesday, spearheaded by Merck Shark and Dohme (MSD) under the topic “Hope from Within: Bringing to Surface the Realities of Lung Cancer.”

According to Dr. Jorge Ignacio, chairman of the UP-Philippine General Hospital Cancer Institute, while the recent development in medicine providing “immunotherapy” for the treatment of lung cancer at the late stage has already been proven to be successful as first-line treatment, its availability and accessibility should be something that needs to be worked upon with strong collaborations to make sure that people afflicted and at risk of developing lung cancer have higher chance of survival.

Dr. Ignacio said that with the promising treatment that immunotherapy can give to patients, the problem on affordability and access to it by lung cancer patients requiring this form of treatment is something that they are looking forward to be also given support in the next few years.

“Most of my private patients actually can afford them…But for the middle income and of course the poor, it is very hard for them to afford this,” Ignacio said, citing that at an average cost, a patient needs at least PHP100,000 every three weeks for the treatment cost of immunotheraphy.

He said that as a remedy, some of the patients who cannot afford it seek help from the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) to help them in shouldering the cost.

“Tumutulong rin ang PCSO, and malaking bagay din ‘yun,” Dr. Ignacio said.

He said that while they have discussed it with the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) to be one of the health package benefits, the agency cannot actually do it now as it is still in the process of providing the chemotherapy drugs to cancers it is previously covering and enhancing as well.

Aside from that, he also said that PhilHealth cannot actually provide for its cost as its funds cannot afford to sustain it.

“So right now, ang PCSO ang major na nakatutulong… Dahil minandate ng President Rodrigo Duterte ngayon ang PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation), they probably can come in also to help us with that one,” he said in an interview with the Philippine News Agency.

He also said he is hopeful that with the latest development that PAGCOR is creating a system to be able to tap its funds for the use of charity patients can actually lead to sustaining the need for the treatment of patients requiring “immunotheraphy” drugs (Pembrolizumab).

Immunotherapy or biologic therapy involves medicine that slows or stops cancer cells from growing, thereby preventing it from spreading to other areas of the body.

It works in strengthening the body’s immune system to help target specific cancer cells so that it will not destroy other good cells which make it different from chemotherapy.

Because of this, patients undergoing it will not lose hair during the treatment stage.

On side effects, Dr. Ignacio said there are minimal (5 percent) side effects noted in comparison to the benefits.

He explained that immunotherapy can only be advised for treating lung cancer stage 3 and above.

Citing that there are certain groups of people classified as high-risk of developing lung cancer, he said “it is equally important that early diagnosis will be sufficiently supported as well as we aim for universal healthcare delivery.”

During the discussion, it was cited that those at risk of lung cancer are those 50 years old and above who are smoking, and even non-smokers exposed to second hand smokes.

Dr. Ignacio said that included in the categories who are at high risk of developing lung cancer are women exposed to biogas fuel in cooking, those who have history of tuberculosis like those who developed scars, etc.

On that aspect, he said it is important to identify the high risk, and strong collaborations should be made to ensure that they will undergo testing or check-up as early detection gives more room for early and successful treatment when needed.

He added that early treatment and giving physician’s recommendations and advice to patients can actually cut the costs of expensive treatment in the late stage.

The problem lies in the fact that diagnosing lung cancer is costing as much as PHP5,000 to PHP6,000, which is usually being set aside and not included by some Filipino families in their health budget.

Maria Fatima Garcia-Lorenzo, president of the Philippine Alliance of Patients’ Organization (PAPO), said that as lung cancer brings burden and financial cost is actually something not simple, enough support is essential to give hope to the lung cancer patients and those at risk of acquiring the disease.

“I suggest we initiate conversations with Philippine hospital administrators who have lung cancer programs and identify best practices and eventually create people-centered lung cancer canter program score card,” said Lorenzo.

She added that the idea is by involving important stakeholders who can create hope from within by eventually creating a certain “Lung Cancer Center Fund” wherein other private sectors who are interested to get involved will be tapped together to ease the other burden of patients that PhilHealth can’t actually provide as of now.

Dr. Beaver Tamesis, MSD managing director, on the other hand, ended up the discussion with the message that “getting well and overcoming any disease starts with optimism from the patient.”

According to available statistics from the US National Cancer Institute, close to 800,000 deaths are attributed to the disease.

In the Philippines, lung cancer remains to be one of the top malignancies that causes death among Filipinos.

Smoking is the highest risk factor. (PNA)SCS/LSJ/SSC