Forum vs cancer empowers women
DAVAO ORIENTAL – Early detection and lifestyle modification are among the most effective measures to tackle the silent killer disease – cancer.
During the recent Cancer Awareness Lay Forum which was held in observance of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month, medical experts from the region have shared to Capitol employees and health professionals, who were participants in the forum, salient information on two of the most common cancers among women – breast cancer and cervical cancer.
Dr. Sharon Lilly Valdez, Regional Cluster Head on Non-Communicable Diseases and Prevention revealed that based on the 2015 data of the Philippine Health Statistics, breast cancer has been ranked as number one cause of cancer deaths among women in the Philippines. In Davao Region, she said, breast cancer still ranks number one in the top causes of mortality among women while cancer in the genital organ which includes cervical cancer ranks second.
She said there is an increasing trend of women getting the disease over the recent years. She listed tobacco use, unhealthy diet and lifestyle, physical inactivity, and harmful use of alcohol as the major risk factors for cancers.
Dr. Joy Sanico, Provincial Health Officer I and Head of the Public Health Division, stressed the importance of reproductive health information for women and access to health facilities for early detection, particularly in rural areas. She said the conduct of the awareness forum on breast and cervical cancer here aims to educate participants and to urge them to advocate for the prevention and early detection of these types of cancers. KAREN LOU DELOSO