Open AccessIgnite Hope (SPARC MBC Challenge Project)
Author(s) -
M.J.K. Alikpala
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of global oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.002
H-Index - 17
ISSN - 2378-9506
DOI - 10.1200/jgo.18.56400
Subject(s) - medicine , breast cancer , context (archaeology) , legislation , cancer , government (linguistics) , stage (stratigraphy) , retraining , metastatic breast cancer , family medicine , business , paleontology , linguistics , philosophy , political science , international trade , law , biology
Background and context: Breast cancer is the number one cancer in the Philippines. It has 20,267 new cases a year representing nearly 20% of all new cancer cases. The few government medical access programs for the poor cater to patients with early stage breast cancer. Yet there is no access to free breast cancer screening. There has been a bias against women with advance and metastatic breast cancer (mbc) in terms of medical access programs and support services. Most assume that the needs of breast cancer patients with late stage cancer are the same as those with early stage. The ICANSERVE Foundation would like to identify the needs of patients with advance and mbc and know the resources available to them. Only one city in the country has community-based patient navigators. Their orientation has been geared toward the newly diagnosed with early stage breast cancer. The project will involve retraining of these navigators to include the unique needs of patients with advance and mbc. A new batch of navigators will be trained from other cities. ICANSERVE will try to convince these partner cities to institutionalize patient navigation through local legislation. Aim: To identify the needs of women with late stage breast cancer and mbc; to make a listing of available resources to them; for patient navigators to encourage women who are in remission to go for regular check-ups to monitor the possibility of a recurrence; to institutionalize a patient navigation program for breast cancer patients through legislation Strategy/Tactics: The patient navigation training and retraining will be conducted with existing partners of ICANSERVE so the buy in is faster. ICANSERVE will ask the help of its other partner, the influential Metro Manila Mayors' Spouses Foundation, to convince its member cities to institutionalize the navigation program. Program/Policy process: A research agency will conduct interviews with 12 women with late stage or mbc to know their needs. Research will be done to study the available resources for them. Brochures and media releases will be produced listing these resources. A patient navigation training course shall be conducted for 10 navigators representing 4 cities. Discussions will be made with city officials to convince them to institutionalize the patient navigation program. Outcomes: Anticipated outcomes: A study on the needs of women with advanced and mbc, a first for the country, can be a basis for government to provide programs responsive to these patients. The study can make patient navigators more attuned to their needs. Navigators can lead the way in showing these patients must not be discriminated. They can still be productive members of society. Knowing where help is available, navigators can offer clearer patient pathways. Hopefully the patient navigation program can be institutionalized through a local law.