The City Health Services Office (CHSO) said that breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among Filipinos and that awareness of the illness matters a lot in the country.
Acting City Health Officer Dr. Celiaflor Brillantes said that this month of October is the time to bring awareness to a disease plaguing the country in commemoration of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
She claimed that globally, breast cancer has been affecting more and more people and the numbers are now alarming.
“Cancer is among the leading causes of death. In 2020 alone, cancer accounted for over one hundred fifty thousand new diagnosis and over ninety thousand deaths in the country,” Brillantes stressed.
She added that there are about 27,163 new cases each year making breast cancer the most common type of cancer among Filipinos.
The city health officer stipulated that while many successfully undergo treatment, a staggering 27 Filipinos die of breast cancer daily, and annually, that number ballooned to 9,926.
Brillantes claimed that in the city, cancer is the second cause of death in 2022 and among the cancers, breast cancer is top followed by lung cancer.
According to her, more and more organizations are uniting in the campaign to raise awareness about the illness both globally and locally.
At present, the local government is partnering with Roche and Pfizer for outreach to breast cancer patients aside from being fortunate to have one group called the Minda’s Bodies where patients and survivors draw strength from each other and continue their normal lives.
The CHSO head said that with its president’s efforts to assist its members to full recovery, survivors of cancer would become advocates dedicated to early breast cancer detection
Brillantes recognized that the group’s president, Marivic Bugasto, is an epitome of an outstanding woman of Baguio where she has been sharing her experiences to promote early detection, an 18-year metastatic breast cancer survivor, a passionate advocate for the last 17 years and a strong woman.
