This treatment plan usually includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, and targeted therapy depending on the patient’s stage, tumor characteristics, and other important factors that are considered on a case-by-case basis.įor early-stage breast cancer patients, the primary treatment consists of surgery to remove the tumor, followed by chemotherapy to eradicate any remaining microscopic cancer cells. This means that doctors specializing in different areas of cancer diagnosis and treatment, along with other related healthcare professionals, work together to formulate a patient’s overall treatment plan that involves different treatment modalities. Inadequate access and high cost of treatment also significantly contribute to the higher morbidity and mortality rates seen among Filipino breast cancer patients 6.īreast cancer is best treated using a multidisciplinary team (MDT) approach 7. This lower survival rate is primarily due to a lack of awareness and low screening rates, resulting in a higher proportion of late-stage cases. Locally, the 10-year survival rate among Filipino women with breast cancer is estimated to be only 57%, which is much lower compared to that in developed countries 5. Only 6% are diagnosed at stage 4, for which the 5-year survival rate significantly drops to 27% 4. Breast cancer also comes in second to lung cancer in terms of mortality rate, making it a significant public health problem 1.īased on foreign data, approximately 62% of women with breast cancer are diagnosed at an early stage when the cancer is still limited to the breast, for which the 5-year survival rate is 99%. According to the CI5 database, breast cancer incidence and mortality have increased steadily in many Asian countries, most notably among Filipino women as we now have the highest incidence of breast cancer in Southeast Asia 3. MANILA, Philippines - Breast cancer is currently the most common cancer among females in the Philippines 1 and worldwide 2.