With aggressive treatment and a combination drugs available, a cancer expert on Thursday said there is an 80 percent of survival rate for those afflicted with lymphoma.
“So one should be happier if diagnosed with lymphoma than any other cancer,” said Dr. Jorge Ignacio, Director of the UP-PGH Cancer Institute.
But still, he cited the importance of early detection of the presence of lymph nodes.
While conceding that is difficult to treat severe lymphoma or Stage 4 of the cancer, Ignacio said one should not lose hope.
“There’s always hope for you. Don’t give up upon yourself,” he said during the Takeda Healthcare Philippines’ virtual launch of “Spot Lymphoma, Stop Lymphoma.”
Takeda medical director Dr. Joy Pabellon said the “Spot Lymphoma, Stop Lymphoma” initiative was launched to answer the call of the government’s National Integrated Cancer Control Act for medical stakeholders to come together and work towards a cancer-free Philippines.
The initiative aims to raise awareness about lymphoma and improve access to lymphoma treatments in the Philippines by providing free testing to patients, partnering with relevant organizations and institutions, and sponsoring talks and seminars to educate the public about the disease.
As part of this initiative, Takeda Philippines has ongoing partnerships with several organizations to improve access to testing and raise awareness about the disease.
One of its recently concluded partnerships is with the Philippine Cancer Society, where Takeda Philippines provided support to patients through free CD30 testing to help detect Hodgkin lymphoma.
To date, the partnership has provided free testing to over 60 patients all over the country.
“Rare cancers like lymphoma continue to be a problem due to lack of awareness and information available to the public, which is why patients continue to search for treatment options and support in managing their disease. With the ‘Spot Lymphoma, Stop Lymphoma’ initiative, we hope to reinforce our commitment in providing access to innovative medicines to lymphoma patients and to address gaps in the areas of screening, diagnosis, treatment and patient support,” said Loreann Villanueva, Country Manager of Takeda Philippines.
“We at Lymphoma Philippines try our best to help every patient that needs support in any way we can, whether by providing information, improving access to treatment or supporting patient advocacy. By joining the ‘Spot Lymphoma, Stop Lymphoma’ initiative, we hope to make the general public more aware about lymphoma, the issues that patients face and what they can do to help,” added Jheric Delos Angeles, co-founder of Lymphoma Philippines.
Lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer in the world.
