Unknown to many Catandunganons, the Immaculate Heart of Mary Hospital, Inc. (IHMH) has been offering chemotherapy sessions to local cancer patients in its Oncology Clinic since last year, with majority of them women with breast cancer.
Hospital founder Edna Segismundo told the Tribune last week that the clinic, headed by visiting oncologist Dr. Kristine G. Tejada, has been providing chemotherapy treatments to clients since it opened in April 2023.
She said that it has been the genuine desire of the private hospital to provide Catandunganons with all possible medical services within its capability as the islanders’ gateway to good health.
For decades now, cancer sufferers from the island province have been seeking treatment either in Metro Manila Hospitals or in mainland health facilities in Legazpi City and Naga City where the service is available.
However, a considerable number are foregoing so-called adjuvant (after-surgery) treatment like chemotherapy or radiation due to the costs associated with seeking the treatment in the metropolis, particularly the transport and lodging expenses, as well as the inconvenience and discomfort it entails.
Dr. Tejada, a medical technology graduate of the University of Santo Tomas who pursued medicine and specialized in internal medicine and oncology, was prevailed upon by Segismundo’s daughter who is her classmate at UST to open the clinic.
During their college days, she said, they used to visit the island during summer, spending time swimming in nearby waterfalls and beaches and even trying overland travel by ferry.
Now 37, the practicing oncologist at Sacred Heart Hospital in Malolos, Bulacan comes to the island every three weeks, with her next schedule on Oct. 12, 2024.
Tejada said she started her clinic at IHMH in April last year with just one and then two patients, returning to the province in 21 days as chemotherapy sessions are done every after three weeks.
No other health facility in the province, public or private, has an oncology clinic, as it would be difficult to gather the minimum three patients required by some Manila-based cancer specialists.
Dr. Tejada said she brings to the island the chemo medicines needed by her patients, having procured the same at a doctor’s discount from the distributor or manufacturer.
Only one of her patients is male, with majority of the women suffering from breast cancer in different stages. Most of them are older people ranging in age from 40 to 70, although one of the male patients suffering from lymphoma began treatment when he was 18 years old.
All of the breast CA sufferers have already undergone surgery to remove the cancerous mass in the breast, but the cancer returned in the lymph nodes in the armpit.
She disclosed that cancer which recurs after two years or so for lack of regular follow-up checkup is treated as stage 4 as it may have already spread to the lungs and other internal organs as well as bones.
“Most did not have chemotherapy after surgery and many did not have proper referral after being diagnosed with cancer,” Tejada said.
More aggressive surgeries remove the entire breast and even the lymph nodes at the armpits so that there is less chance of recurrence, but this is really the choice of the patient, she added.
One of her patients underwent chemo at the Philippine General Hospital due to recurring cancer and decided to have the treatment at IHMH after learning of its oncology clinic.
“Di naman sobrang mahal ang treatment kasi nga may mga libre naman sa Manila, magtitiyaga ka lang pumila sa PGH and other government hospitals,” she added.
The oncologist emphasized that it would be more costly for a cancer patient not to undergo chemo, as the cancer could spread and eventually lead to paralysis, which could be more expensive in the long run due to the hiring of a caregiver, more medicines and reduced quality of life.
The cost of having chemotherapy done at IHMH is comparable to that in the mainland and more convenient for the patient as one does not to endure the aggravations normally encountered in the metropolis such as the time lost to traffic and waiting in the queues.
Then there is the mental comfort that comes from the thought that right after the treatment, the patient can come home to his or her family.
On the other hand, Dr. Tejada explained, targeted chemotherapy costs more and up per treatment depending on body weight, especially for colon cancer that usually spreads to other parts of the body.
The duration of the chemo treatment depends on the type of cancer, with those with breast CA needing only eight sessions while those requiring targeted chemo would have to undergo a year of treatment.
“Sa cancer kasi, hindi siya natatapos lang sa chemo, you have to undergo radiation treatment and PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan,” she said.
The PET scan is usually done after the chemo course in order to determine through imaging whether there are still cancerous or malignant tumors remaining after treatment.
“Kapag binitawan mo yan, babalik ang cancer,” the oncologist explained.
One of her patients has succumbed to stage 4 prostate cancer as he was already bedridden and paralyzed from the waist down when chemo treatment began.
The cancer had already metastasized to his lungs but the treatment at IHMH extended his life even for a short time, such that the patient was eager to get treated every three weeks.
On the other hand, the teenage boy suffering from lymphoma has already improved in the months since treatment was started, gaining weight and now ready to resume classes at the local university.
He is set to undergo PET scan, which would normally cost P60,000 but would be free under the government’s Medical Assistance to Indigents and Financially Incapacitated Patients Program (MAIFIPP).
Asked if modern lifestyle is to blame for rising cancer diagnoses, Dr. Tejada stated that it is very rare to establish a direct link to lifestyle as more than half of cancer cases is due to genetic disposition.
It could be said that certain cancers – such as liver and lung cancer – could be blamed on drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes but not all.
Citing cases of non-smokers falling ill to lung cancer, she said that it is likely that one of either parent is a smoker.
Diabetes, strokes and other lifestyle disorders are deadlier than cancer, Tejada noted, that is why exercise, avoiding stress and maintaining a healthy lifestyle are important.
She expressed appreciation for the relaxed atmosphere in the island, comparing it to the very stressful daily life in Metro Manila where one has to wake up early, spend too much time on the road either commuting or driving, and sleep late.
“Taking on this assignment at Immaculate Heart of Mary Hospital requires commitment,” Dr. Tejada said, recalling the advice from her friend for her to “tiyagaan mo lang” when she started her clinic at the third floor of the hospital in barangay Rawis, Virac.
For now, the nine patients in her care are certainly glad to see her every three weeks, thankful for another chance to prolong their lives or even see the cancer gone.
They most likely remain hopeful that the IHMH management led by Edna Segismundo would persevere in keeping the oncology clinic open in the foreseeable future.