Ladies, get yourself checked

A pink building which houses the cancer center for women is tucked in an inconspicuous location behind the main building of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City. Statistics are telling of the gravity of cancer among women, but to have a center in a tertiary hospital dedicated to the detection and treatment of the disease exemplified the urgent need for it to be addressed.

Our Lingkod Kapamilya team was in Cebu to visit a patient, 34-year-old Algenetha Aguirre, who is 32 weeks pregnant. She complained about vaginal bleeding then underwent tests and discovered that it was cervical cancer. It was Stage 2A. Naturally, she was very concerned about her unborn baby and her health, which caused her many sleepless nights.

We’ve discussed cervical cancer in Salamat Dok and the available vaccines for it. But it was alarming to meet a person my age, going through such a dreaded disease.

Cervical cancer does not manifest symptoms in the early stages, but Algenetha’s pregnancy was instrumental in the detection of the disease. Her eldest child is 13 years old. She had two miscarriages, and she now carries her fourth child. “It’s been a while, so I thought that we would not have another child. This pregnancy is a blessing in disguise, otherwise I would not find out that I have cancer.”

Doctors are working on a safe delivery of the baby, and they will then proceed with Algenetha’s chemotherapy.

For donations, call our Lingkod Kapamilya office at 415-2272 loc. 5409.

Carla Paras-Sison was only 35 years old when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had no idea why she got it, especially since she had no family history of breast cancer. While genetics play a big part in the development of a disease, it is still unclear on what really causes it, while the numbers of those affected are on the rise.

There are those that say obesity is related to breast cancer, as well as taking hormone replacement therapy, etc. Some studies show that the incidence of breast cancer is higher among women who do not have children. However, breast cancer is not only limited to those suffering from obesity, those taking hormone replacement therapy or childless women.

According to the Philippine Cancer Facts and Estimates 2010, one in a hundred Filipinos may die of breast cancer.

The Philippines has the highest incidence of breast cancer in Asia. The chances of cure are much higher in other countries than in the Philippines, 80 to 98 percent and 40 percent, respectively. And it depends significantly on early detection, which is why women have to regularly do breast self-examinations and women above 40 years old must undergo mammography.

Carla ignored the signs of breast cancer. Her husband felt the lump on her breast, but she decided to go to a doctor only three months after. Upon seeing her doctor, it was immediately recommended that a biopsy be done on the lump, which turned out to be Stage 3C breast cancer already. She immediately searched for an oncologist. The cancer cells were aggressive and needed surgery.  “I should not have waited three months,” Carla stresses, “but I prioritized my masters degree then.”

The lump was removed, and she underwent 12 cycles of chemotherapy and 28 days of radiotherapy. On her last chemo session, she learned that the cancer cells metastasized to her lymph nodes and bones.  At this point she felt hopeless already.

“We will all die, but at that point I was more worried about my young children. I was determined to fight cancer because I want to see them grow up,” says Carla.

Bills started to add up, and it was burdensome to proceed with the much-needed procedures. This was when Carla realized how many people cared to help her survive her ordeal. A friend set up a website for her to get donations for her treatment.

It’s been seven years since, and today she is cancer-free but Carla is aware that her cancer may recur anytime.

Dr. Erwin Alcazaren, a breast surgeon, explains that a patient needs to have herself checked yearly even after a successful operation.

Today, Carla volunteers in the I CAN SERVE foundation (icanservefoundation.org) to help others prevent and deal with breast cancer.

October is breast cancer awareness month. Ladies, please have yourselves checked.

(E-mail me at [email protected] or follow me on Twitter @Bernadette_ABS.)