Cancer control in the Philippines: The role of the private practitioners and surgeons

ABSTRACT

1. In this paper I have presented the cancer-control plan in America, together with a list of successful treatments by American surgeons and radiologists, for the purpose of achieving as many cases of five-year cures as possible. The cancerologists of America are convinced that cure in cancer by surgeons and radiologists can not be attained without a well organized control plan, in towns and countries consisting of early diagnosis and prevention, so that the slogan in cancer control should be "Cancer is curable, provided it is diagnosed and treated early."2. I have pointed out to you that cancer control in the Philippines consists only of cancer cure and that we do not have the most important implement - namely, the systematic organization for cancer diagnosis and prevention in the provinces. Although the agencies of provincial hospitals and laboratories could be used, there is lack of cancer clinics from which cancer-consciousness among private practitioners and among the people could be disseminated3. As there are many advanced cancers not detected in the early stage, the surgeons of our country are not given the opportunity to achieve a large number of five-year cures through operation and irradiation; and the majority of the advanced cases operated on and irradiated recur, metastasize, and die within five years4. There is a large number of advanced cancers that are over-crowding the general hospitals of the provinces and cities, especially Manila. This is a problem in accommodation. It is also the cancer control problem of the medical profession of the Philippines in general and of the College of Surgeons in particular, because the surgeons of our country are adversely affected by the successful results of their operations in cancer. (Summary)