Access to Surgical Treatment for Breast Cancer in the Philippines.
Luis Miguel B CoEdward Christopher DeeMichelle Ann B EalaSamuel D AngChristian Daniel U AngPublished in: Annals of surgical oncology (2022)
Female breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer worldwide; however, while high-income countries have the highest incidence rates, lower-middle income countries have the highest mortality rates. In this article, we describe the landscape of disparities in access to surgical care for patients with breast cancer in the Philippines, a lower-middle income country in Southeast Asia. We describe the payment landscape that allows access to care for patients with non-metastatic disease, and draw attention to the fact that despite some degree of insurance for most Filipinos, great barriers to access remain in the form of a low number of surgical providers, geographic disparities, and persistent socioeconomic barriers. Lastly, we suggest steps forward to improve equity in access to surgical care for Filipino patients with breast cancer.
Keyphrases
- affordable care act
- healthcare
- health insurance
- palliative care
- quality improvement
- physical activity
- mental health
- squamous cell carcinoma
- risk factors
- small cell lung cancer
- pain management
- single cell
- type diabetes
- papillary thyroid
- working memory
- cardiovascular disease
- chronic pain
- young adults
- lymph node metastasis