Implementation ‘Biggest Challenge’ In Lung Cancer Care – Expert

With scientific evidence and policy frameworks already available in the Philippines, experts believe that implementation is now the biggest challenge in addressing lung cancer among Filipinos.

During a recent forum organized by the pharmaceutical committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, health leaders and patient advocates called for sustained action to deliver commitments to improve lung cancer outcomes.

“Scientific progress rarely falls short because of insufficient evidence,” Dr. Mary Bussell, founder and chief executive officer of TriMarStrategies and lead author of the global Lung Cancer Consensus Statement, said in her keynote speech during the forum titled “Beyond the Care Continuum: Building the Institutional Capability to Deliver Equitable Lung Cancer Care.”

“Far more often, it falls short because institutions struggle to translate evidence into implementation," she added. 

Despite advances in prevention, early detection, diagnostics, precision medicine and treatment, Bussell noted that lung cancer remains the world's leading cause of cancer mortality.

She said this is mainly due implementation failing to keep pace with scientific progress.

“The announcement of a national priority is not the end of the policy journey. It is the beginning of the implementation journey,” she said. 

“The defining challenge of the twenty-first century is no longer solely discovering what works. It is building institutions capable of delivering what we already know works in a sustainable, equitable and timely manner,” she added.

Developed in 2023, the Lung Cancer Consensus Statement provides a framework to guide national and global action to address the illness.

Bussell said the statement is more than policy document, saying it is an implementation roadmap whose five principles –– prevention, early detection, equitable access to treatment, partnerships and investment and combating stigma –– require coordinated action across various stakeholders.

"Scientific progress creates possibility. Institutional capability determines whether possibility becomes reality," she added.

Sustained action

Cancer survivor and patient advocate Emer Rojas, president of the Lung Health Alliance of the Philippines (LungHAP), stressed that the Philippines already has a solid policy foundation to improve lung cancer care.

“We have the plan in place. We have a clear framework and clear guidelines for implementation. The focus now needs to be on implementation, sustained commitment, and allocating resources for the fight ahead," he pointed out. 

Founded in 2024, LungHAP pushes for expanding early detection, improving access to care, strengthening regional cancer services and empowering lung cancer patients as active partners in healthcare.

It has partnered with medical societies, local government units, civil society organizations and international partners to promote awareness and advocate for earlier detection.

The group also supports policy reforms, including the Philippine Declaration on Lung Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment Access in support of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act.