dsc_3623

Experts tackle medical care for elderly persons with cancer

[MANILA, Philippines May 15, 2019] Medical experts, doctors, scientists, academics and political leaders in Asia Pacific countries convened on Wednesday to formulate medical care policies for countries with increased cancer cases among older populations.

In her keynote speech at the 2019 International Society of Geriartic Oncology (SIOG) policy meeting, Dr. Susan Pineda-Mercado, deputy secretary-general of the Philippine Red Cross, stressed that changes in the aging population’s disease structure create the need for specific types of medical care in the country.

Citing that many among the elderly have cancer or are more prone to the disease, Mercado said the government must promote appropriate care for them.

Asian healthcare must plan for greying populations

[MANILA, Philippines, May 19, 2019] The “feminisation of ageing” is among problems facing countries in the Asia Pacific region that are ill-equipped to provide proper healthcare—including cancer treatment—for the elderly, an international conference in the Philippine capital heard this week.

WHO data published in 2018 show life expectancy in the Philippines to be 66.2 years for males and 72.6 years for females. Cancer mortality claimed 28,700 males and 27,900 females in 2014, according to WHO.

“Women tend to live longer than men,” Susan Mercado, deputy secretary general, Philippine Red Cross, told a policy meeting convened Wednesday (15 May) by the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) and the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, Regional Centre for Tropical Medicine and Public Health.

Red Cross joins partnership to boost healthcare for elderly cancer patients

[MANILA, Philippines April 10, 2019] The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) continues to expand its healthcare program as it partnered with three organizations to strengthen services for cancer-stricken elderly patients through intensive training.   PRC signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the International Society for Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), the Philippine Cancer Society and the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine (PCGM) to work on delivering an Advanced Training Course on Geriatric Oncology for clinicians in the Philippines.

Partnership to strengthen cancer care for the elderly population in the Philippines

[MANILA, Philippines March 28, 2019] – Four organizations have taken a decisive step this month towards improving the quality of care for elderly cancer patients so that the Philippines would be the in a better position to handle this incoming “grey tsunami”. Today – the International Society for Geriatric Oncology (SIOG), the Philippine Red Cross (PRC), the Philippine Cancer Society and the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine (PCGM) have come together to work on delivering an Advanced Training Course on Geriatric Oncology for clinicians in the Philippines.

A better deal for those ageing with cancer

[GENEVA, Switzerland April 11, 2019] Thanks to efforts in development and progress in healthcare, human life expectancy is increasing worldwide. The downside to this, however, is the significant rise in cancer cases among the elderly.

Partnerships to improve expertise – A recently agreed collaboration between SIOG and the Philippine Red Cross, the Philippine Cancer Society and the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine is the first of a number of regional partnerships aimed at improving access to expertise in geriatric oncology. On 15th May this year, SIOG and the SEAMEO TROPMED and Public Health Network have invited countries to discuss current policies for the strengthening of human resources for health in Geriatric Oncology in South-East Asia. SIOG is currently completing a major study to underpin success stories, challenges, funding, and new care initiatives culminating with a policy meeting taking place at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland on 14 November this year.

The chair of the initiative, Martine Extermann, senior adult oncology, Moffitt Cancer Centre, adds that the SIOG report due in 2019 will consolidate country recommendations to generate and communicate knowledge to the stakeholders of cancer in ageing, thus contributing directly or indirectly to equitable health development in country settings; adapting and applying knowledge generated elsewhere for the achievement of international health development; and contributing to the global knowledge database.

The development of elderly cancer care models must embrace and incorporate the fundamental principles of geriatric oncology, says the president of SIOG, Hans Wildiers, a medical oncologist from UZ Leuven, Belgium.
The SIOG community and its country partners will continue to push the boundaries worldwide for better patient outcomes for those in the ageing population that are afflicted by cancer—both scientifically and through policy thought leadership. By doing this, it is contributing to the vision of Kofi Annan for the promotion of solidarity between generations in combating discrimination against older patients and in building a future of security, opportunity for treatment and dignity for them.