Manila Doctors Hospital: Knowledge key to breast cancer care

Manila Doctors Hospital (MDH) is promoting a more informed approach to breast cancer care, urging patients to better understand their diagnosis, explore treatment options and take an active role in decisions throughout their cancer journey.

During its Breast Cancer Awareness Month celebration themed “Knowledge is Power,” MDH specialists emphasized that access to reliable information, coupled with early detection and open discussions with doctors, can help patients navigate increasingly varied approaches to cancer screening and treatment.

Dr. Antonio Villanon, widely recognized as the father of medical oncology in the Philippines, stressed that patients should not hesitate to ask questions about their diagnosis and the options available to them.

“Knowledge is power. Education is for all. We should know what needs to be done,” Villanon said.

He encouraged patients to ask questions when presented with a treatment plan, noting that cancer care can involve different approaches, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal therapy and newer personalized treatments.

“There should always be options for treatment. There should be choices,” he stressed.

Villanon also urged patients not to immediately give up on treatment when they experience side effects, saying doctors may be able to adjust doses or change medications depending on the patient’s condition.

“The important thing is to continue your treatment for as long as you can, because what is important is for you to get better,” stated he.

Early detection

Medical oncologist Dr. Florge Francis Sy, meanwhile, underscored the importance of detecting breast cancer even before symptoms appear.

Breast cancer screening, he explained, allows doctors to look for the disease even when a patient has no noticeable lump or changes in the breast.

“When we talk about breast cancer screening, the best screening modality is mammography,” Sy said.

He said women aged 40 to 74 without symptoms or a previous breast cancer diagnosis should undergo screening mammography every two years.

Early detection may also allow patients to undergo less extensive treatment, as smaller tumors could require more limited surgery and, depending on the individual case, potentially less intensive therapy.

Sy also discussed Screening for the Presence of Tumor by Methylation and Size (Spot-MAS), an emerging blood-based multi-cancer early detection test.

He cautioned, however, that Spot-MAS is not 100 percent sensitive and should supplement, rather than replace, established screening procedures.

Care beyond treatment

The forum also tackled practical nutrition and physical activity during cancer treatment, particularly for patients experiencing loss of appetite, nausea, mouth sores, changes in taste and other treatment-related difficulties.

Patients were advised to consider strategies such as eating smaller but more frequent meals, maintaining adequate protein and fluid intake, and modifying food textures and temperatures depending on their symptoms.

MDH also highlighted the role of families and caregivers, with speakers stressing that cancer affects not only patients but also the people accompanying them throughout treatment.

For Villanon , a cancer diagnosis represents only one part of a patient’s life and should not define it entirely.

“Cancer, breast cancer, is only one part of your life. It is not your entire life,” the doctor stated.

“Do not give up because there are still many things that can be done. Always go back to your doctor,” he added.