In observance of the National Lung Cancer Awareness Month, the Department of Health (DOH) has taken steps to address the continuous increase in the number of lung cancer cases in the Philippines.

During the "Kalaaman sa Kanser sa Baga Palawakin, Pag iwas at Lunas Ating Alamin" virtual forum on Monday, Nov. 8, World Health Organization (WHO) representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe started off by discussing the burden of cancer in the Philippines and all over the world.

"Cancer is the second leading cause of deaths globally. It is assumed to be estimated that 10 million deaths occured due to cancer in 2020," he said.

Abeyasinghe added "cancer has a devastating effect on affected individuals and families, as well as the economy."

One in eight men and one in eleven women die from cancer globally, noted Abeyasinghe, adding around 7o percent of the deaths occur in low and middle income countries.

In the Global Cancer Statistics 2020, lung cancer is the most common cancer worldwide, affecting 2.2 million people in 2020.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque said lung cancer also weakens the immune system of individuals, which is a big factor for survival if one becomes infected with the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Some several risk factors that may increase the chances of getting lung cancer include smoking, secondhand smoke, and other substances found at workplaces like asbestos, arsenic, diesel exhaust, and some forms of silica and chromium, the health secretary said.

Family history, radiation therapy to the chest, diet, and lifestyle may also contribute to acquiring the disease, he added.

The DOH also strongly advised the public to stop smoking as it continues to be the leading cause of lung cancer.

Dr. Vincent Balanag Jr., executive director of the Lung Center of the Philippines, said those who should undergo screening for lung cancer are those with higher risk for cancers based on their age, smoking history, and family history.

"This recommendation applies to people age 50 through 80 years old with no signs of symptoms of lung cancer who are current smokers or have quit within the past 15 years," he said in his presentation.

Meanwhile, Health Disease Prevention and Control Bureau chief Frances Prescilla Cuevas said the Republic Act No. 11215 or the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA) will cover the entire "Cancer Control Continuum of Care".

Under the NICCA, the public will be given access to vaccination against cancers, access to right information, access towards prevention such as services, diagnostic, services treatment and care surveillance, survivorship care, and end-of-life.

"Lahat po ay may (all will have) access to optimal treatment care and that will be provided across the population, individual-based services that we are going to establish," she said during the forum.

Other Lung Cancer Prevention and Control initiatives also include: technical working group of the Control of Lung Cancer, Screening on Early Lung Cancer Detection and Treatment (SELCaDT) program, clinical practice guidelines, and the observance of Lung Cancer Awareness month.

The DOH also established the Cancer Assistance Fund (CAF) to support the Cancer and Supportive-Palliative Medicines Access Program (CSPMAP).

The CSPMAP will provide free medicines to cancer patients in any of the following eight cancer types namely Breast Cancer, Childhood Cancers, Gynecologic Cancers, Liver Cancer, Colorectal Cancer and other digestive tract cancers, adult Blood Cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, Head-Neck-Thyroid Cancers, Lung Cancer, and Prostate and Urinary Bladder Cancer.