As you are reading this, a Filipina is dying of cervi-cal cancer. And what a waste because cervical cancer can be prevented.
Biking enthusiasts will go on a tour for a cause from Vigan to Subic from Sept. 13 to Sept. 17 to raise awareness and funds for the prevention and control of cervical cancer in the Philippines.
At the launching of “Tour of Hope” last week, Dr. Cecilia Llave, head of the Philippine General Hospital Cancer Institute, gave an overview of the cervical cancer situation in the Philippines.
She said every eight minutes a Filipina dies of cancer.
When a woman dies of cancer, you not only lose a mother, a wife, a sister, but one who may even be a breadwinner of the family.
Although detectable through pap smear, the incidence and mortality rate of cervical cancer has remained unchanged for the past 30 years The reason for this, Dr. Llave said, is two-thirds of the time, the woman is diagnosed very late when nothing can be done anymore.
The PGH Cancer Institute with JHPIEGO, an affiliate of the Johns Hopkins University, and the Department of Health established the Cervical Cancer Prevention Network Program or CECAP, an alliance of organizations from public and private sectors, health professionals and other concerned non-government agencies who are working to eliminate cervical cancer among Filipinos.
CECAP works on primary prevention through education and immunization.
CECAP is waging an information campaign for a Single Visit Approach. When a woman goes to the municipal center she is counseled and screened using the acetic acid (the ordinary “suka”) test. In just one minute, the results are known.
If she is cleared, she goes home richer with the additional knowledge how to take care of her body and remain healthy. If more tests and treatment are needed, she is referred to the appropriate partners.
For the past one-and-a-half years, CECAP has established several sites all over the country having trained some 275 medical and health personnel for the cervical cancer-free Philippines campaign. CECAP centers are in Taytay, Rizal; Muntinlupa City, Tanza, Minglanilla, and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu, Xavier University-Community Heath Care Center and Northern Mindanao Medical Center.
“Capacity building for cervical cancer prevention in several communities and screening using the single visit approach would initially cost P1.6 million,” Llave said, adding that contributions to the Tour of Hope will go a long way in reducing the burden of cervical cancer in Filipino women.
The Tour of Hope, which is co-sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Philippines, Bravehearts and Campaigns PR Inc, will be led by Team David’s Salon, the only all women multi-sport team in the country.
Joyette Jopson of Team David Salon said their group works for empowerment through sports. At every stop of the 500 kilometer (Vigan-Candon-Agoo-Alaminos-Iba-Olongapo) five-day tour , CECAP doctors will be giving lectures on cancer prevention and vaccination.
TV personality Tricia Chiongbian, who will be one of the participating bikers, said it’s only when she agreed to join the “Tour of Hope” that she learned the gravity of cervical cancer situation in the Philippines. “It gives more meaning to the joy of biking,” she said.
Also at the launching was Sarah Villanueva, a cervical cancer survivor, who has a message to those who have been diagnosed with the disease: “Don’t lose hope. Live life to the fullest.”
Those who want to know more about the Tour of Hope or pledge any amount for every kilometer that a chosen cyclist will be able to cover, may contact Joyette Jopson (0917-882-7352) or Dr. Grace Chan of the PGH Cancer Institute Foundation (526-6953).
Cancer can be prevented from spreading and getting worse if diagnosed earlier and treated immediately. Often, victims find out too late. Cancer can strike everyone, old or young, rich and poor. Sad to say, those who can afford get the best treatment and able to prolong their lives. The poor are forced to suffer and die prematurely. It’s high time that the government comes up with honest-to-goodness anti-cancer programs. But, this seems to be close to impossible considering that many Filipinos cannot even receive basic treatment for ordinary illnesses.
Nakakagulat iyan! I mean na-publish ni Ellen yung blog entry ng 7:49AM ng Sept 10. Pero yung comment ni bitchevil ginawa ng Sept. 9, 11:58pm. Unless European time yung timestamp ni BE.
Similarly, every year, hospitals call all good men at 40 and over for the DRT to head off any malignat prostate cancer. Either you take those expensive daily tablets or go under the knife. I am glad I dont pay for the regular visits to the doctors and clinics and labs and the operation if I reach that stage. And a free burial if everything else fail to extend my life. Why cant the government extend this benefit to all equally. Unless of course others are choosy.
RMP and SDL said I was fast in landing first my comment. This time my comment is ahead of this topic. Between us, I’m a psychic. I know what the next topic would be. Do you want to know what’s next?
A brief on HPV (human papillomavirus) Cervical Cancer Prevention. HPV is a Sexually Transmitted Infection or STI, aka STD and linked to cervical cancer. People don’t understand just how common HPV really is. While the vast majority of those sexually active couples are estimated to have HPV at some point in their lives, most are never diagnosed clinically and remain unaware they were even exposed, a typical scenario of many who have never heard of HPV until either they or their partner were diagnosed. The stigma surrounding STIs doesn’t help, often making it painful to bring the subject up even to those who are closest to them.
The topic alerted my skeptical mind and alarm bells and sirens blared, especially on the term co-sponsored by GlaxoSmithKline Philippines. GSK is a member of Big Pharma which is notorious for hype and deceptive promotions. Its latest promotion claims
“Interim data from a Phase III clinical trial with more than 18,000 women from around the world showed GlaxoSmithKline’s (GSK) candidate HPV vaccine, Cervarix(r), was 100% effective in preventing significant cervical precancers (CIN 2 or higher) related to HPV types 16 and 18, and also offered partial protection against three other “high risk” HPV type infections individually, and all high risk type infections collectively.”
The more I see MDs in ads endorsing placebos as cure-all for a list of ailments, the more my skepticism grows into cynicism. This is painful to me as many close relatives and dear friends are members of the medical profession as healers, pharmacists and med reps. A particular distasteful TV ad is the doc defining dyspepsia and the pill to take to prevent the discomfort. My simple mind was on the verge of shouting an expletive: Stop gobbling and chew the food, you pig!
The rediscovery of the PMA conscience is a stroke of serendipity for the entire nation. Better late than never. Decades ago, it was obvious that the organization was under the sway of Big Pharma who paid for their conventions (admitted by the footnote in the ads) This insidious collusion detracts from the task of doctors whose role is to promote health, not disease mongering and fostering addiction to drugs.
The grim truth is that Big Pharma and its medical cohorts have thoroughly brainwashed Pinoy society into a mindset that popping pills determines our health, a nation teeming with hypochondriacs. A bitter pill to swallow but nonetheless true. If the bitter pill is hard to swallow, ask your doctor or your registered nurse how many of the more than two dozen vaccines have replaced our natural immunity to specific infectious diseases, and ask further how many debilitating chronic diseases are preventable and thus avoid the need for expensive medical intervention aka medicine
Believe it or not, the number of doctors who still swear by the Hippocratic principle “do no harm” is fast diminishing.
Cervical cancer can be treated with modern technologies.Surgery is done with little incisions and this cool little camera that kind of crawls though your innards–recovery is very swift, pain and bad results lower. Unfortunately, that little camera makes the operation much more expensive–seems it costs more than a scalpel.Muliply that by lots of successes.If you have cancer,you live if you have money.The doctor will not treat you sa barya-barya.
Explanation: The wonders of blogging!
I got confused with the date. I intentionally posted the article for today past 7 a.m. to give space to the story on SC decision on the Court of Appeals controversy. But I got confused with the date. I put Sept 9 thinking Sept 9 was a Wednesday. So BE was able to comment. I realized later on my mistake so I changed the date to sept. 10 but retained the comment of BE in its original date and time.
Charge it to the wonders of blogging.
One way to avoid cervical cancer is to watch your diet. As usual we need to ear plenty of fruits and vegetable and less of animal fats. All the rest will be a complex medical procedure either for prevention or treatment.
Sana may Tour of Hope din to discuss an equally alarming problem of the Philippine Society, the social cancer of greed and corruption in the government. Lumalala na ang kanser ng bayan mula sa mga mikrobiong ikinakalat ng mga siklistang pidalista.
Nice post, neonate.
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Good luck to the Tour of Hope, may you enlighten the people on the facts and prevention/cure of cervical cancer.
Thanks Ellen..he, he. It can only happen in this blog. This blog is full of wonders. But, you should not have revealed it to keep Tongue guessing.
Neonate,
“My simple mind was on the verge of shouting an expletive: Stop gobbling and chew the food, you pig!”
Those docs wear lipsticks, too, I presume.
valdemar,
I had my checkup earlier and luckily I too am spared the prostrate plague of the 40 and over. I hear prostate cancer is common among men who are sexually promiscous, whether this is true or not promiscouty is just a fantasy for me as my wife guards me like Jaworsky.
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neonate,
I came from the pharmaceutical industry myself (first job after graduation), the medreps lavish gifts like aircons, refs, sponsorships in foreign/domestic seminars with pocket money, university chairs, scholarships, videokes, department/family outings, cars that we gave out before are really too apealing to refuse. It is interesting to note though that through the years the multinationals have toned downed these practices and some like Abbott, Nestle, etc. have totally moved away from them.
juggernaut Says:
valdemar,
I had my checkup earlier and luckily I too am spared the prostrate plague of the 40 and over. I hear prostate cancer is common among men who are sexually promiscous, whether this is true or not promiscouty is just a fantasy for me as my wife guards me like Jaworsky.
yeah right jug…pero nakakalusot ka pa rin sa pagbabantay ni jaworsky hahaha…mas madaling mahuli ang mga lalaking sinungaling sa kilos…feeling guilty…dinadaan sa galit kungbaga…hahaha…kelan kya magkakaron ng lalaking loyal and honest… hay!!!!
pambihira yan, lalaki pala si maldita.
hahaha nice one tongue-twisted
Ha! ha! ha!ha!
hi ms. Ellen
A high level of stress may hamper the body’s ability to fight off human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, placing women at a higher risk of cervical cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Fox Chase Cancer Center and published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine. Read more at
http://tinyurl.com/6jjk3u
neonate,
Visited your site as usual…thanks for the link, very informative.
Kakagulat itong si Orly, ang galing sa politics at naval military pero ang blog niya health, wellness and food.
On jug’s wife being Jaworski, there’s a solution – outside shooting on rainbow territory.
On the topic, is it true that women who never conceived are more prone to cervical C? Kaya siguro even lezbos and many career women who don’t need husbands get pregnant.
Tongue, there’s a simple explanation to your question: The woman’s eggs need the sperm to boil. Once they are boiled, these eggs can be flashed down the toilet.
neonate’s blog is one of my fave sites. Hindi ko pinalalagpas ang kanyang mga issues.
Tongue,
Your question was exactly what was on my mind and almost asked neonate about it. Ano nga kaya ang theory diyan?
Tongue, Chi: you’re making me blush. Sorry , can’t answer your question as I’m not a trained clinician in the medical field, although my Web searches on how food impacts fundamental health inevitably offers related health issues on debilitating chronic disease as well as the bad bugs causing infectious diseases.
No problemo, neonate. I’m just curious about that “tsismis”, heheh.
talagang ikaw chi mahilig sa chismis.
hahaha!
Is there a cure for Filipino malady, called Filipino cancer?
Take this for example,
Terrorism is bad for economy, ask any economist from Berkeley to Princeton. Terrorism is baaaad!!! Yet, the pyroteknik-expert-with-no-training-captain-of-industry Ayala insisted that the Glorieta Bombing was the work of terrorist contrary to scientific findings of NSA, NBI, FBI, Mossad, Chinese and Australian intelligence.
Makati Business Club jumped into the fray because they were consternated with Ayala’s terrorist angle.
Then another ding-dung jumped into the absolute field of science … ta …. da …. The Philippine Supreme Court.
The PHilippine Supreme Court will decide if the scientific findings of foreign intelligence agencies were correct!
Huh? Extreme glaring showing of Filipino oblivious ignorance of science to have the Philippine Supreme Court to decide things of science.
Look, PHilippine Supreme Court are Filipinos, therefore, extremely dumb about science … why in the world …. ?
And did the pekeng-periodistas hounded the Makati Business Club, Ayala findings and Supreme Court decisions?
Neeeeeeveeeer Heard from the proud and arrogant 4th estate.
Look, PHilippine Supreme Court are Filipinos, therefore, extremely dumb about science … why in the world …. ?
….You’re the dumbest! Of course the Philippine Supreme Court Justices are Filipinos. Why, you think they should be Americans or Russians?
It’s only Filipinos like you who are dumb in science. Can you tell me how much methane gas in a partially-enclosed container (basement) could possibly lift the concrete slab blocking the old stairway four storeys into the air? Compare that with the amount of methane that could possibly be generated in a very diluted concentration in a tank the size of a refrigerator. How do you explain RDX in eleven places in the blast site, cosmetics?
If we follow the “official”, “scientific” findings and disregard the findings of Ayala’s own, then similarly, the City of Paris would have been obliterated from the face of the earth a long time ago since the whole city sits on a huge, complete network of sewage, running parallel to ALL of the city’s electrical power lines and WiFi cables under every street, big or small.
If you cannot answer these questions, just shut up.
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.