DR. Mary Bussell, founder and chief executive officer of TriMarStrategies and lead author of the Lung Cancer Consensus Statement, said lung cancer care in the Philippines should focus more on strengthening institutions, government leadership, and cross-sector collaboration.
"Scientific progress rarely falls short because of insufficient evidence. Far more often, it falls short because institutions struggle to translate evidence into implementation," Bussell said, speaking at the "Beyond the Care Continuum: Building the Institutional Capability to Deliver Equitable Lung Cancer Care" forum.
The event was organized by the Pharmaceutical Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines.
Bussell said the biggest challenge facing health care today is no longer identifying effective solutions, but ensuring institutions can consistently deliver them.
She noted that despite advances in lung cancer care, lung cancer remains the world's leading cause of cancer mortality because implementation has not kept pace with scientific progress.
Bussell said health priorities should mark the start, not the end, of implementation.
"The defining challenge of the 21st 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 said.
The Global Lung Cancer Consensus Statement, Bussell said, is not just a policy document, but an implementation roadmap whose five principles: prevention, early detection, equitable access to treatment, partnerships and investment, and combating stigma, require coordinated action across government, health care, education, finance, industry, and civil society.
Lung Health Alliance of the Philippines (LungHAP) President Emer Rojas said existing lung cancer policies can be manifested into meaningful action by promoting early detection, improving access to care, strengthening regional cancer services, and empowering patients as active partners in health 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," Rojas said.
He added that these concepts inspired the creation of LungHAP in 2024.
LungHAP, Rojas said, has partnered with medical societies, local government units, civil society organizations, and international partners to promote awareness, advocate for earlier detection, and support policy reforms, including the Philippine Declaration on Lung Cancer Diagnostics and Treatment Access in support of the National Integrated Cancer Control Act.
He stressed the need to expand regional cancer services, strengthen public awareness, encourage public-private collaboration, and explore AI-assisted chest-X-ray technology as a practical complement to low-dose CT screening, particularly in underserved communities. RED MENDOZA