MANILA, Philippines - Research-based health care company Novartis has partnered with The Medical City (TMC) to enhance the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal stromal tumor (GIST) in the country.
Novartis and TMC officials signed recently the memorandum of agreement for the GIST Alliance Philippines program at the TMC boardroom in Pasig City recently.
GIST is a type of cancer that can start anywhere in the gastrointestinal tract, although it occurs most often in the stomach (50 to 70 percent) or the small intestine (20 to 30 percent).
The rest is found in the esophagus, large intestine (colon and rectum), and anus.
GIST is difficult to diagnose because it does not cause any symptoms in its early stages. In later stages, the most common symptoms are vague abdominal pain, early feeling of fullness (satiety), vomiting, blood in stool or vomit, and fatigue due to anemia.
However, these symptoms may also be an indicator of a wide range of other less serious conditions. People who experience any of these symptoms should consult their doctor.
“GIST Alliance Philippines is a distinctive, integrated program that provides both patients and health care professionals with access to the most current resources on GIST,” said Dr. Joseph Tovera, oncology medical affairs head of Novartis Healthcare Philippines.
The program provides access to educational information to help patients better understand GIST, its causes, diagnosis and management as well as the critical importance of adherence to GIST treatment.
It also provides patients with a one-time special diagnostic test for KIT/CD117, the enzyme thought to be responsible for most GIST cases.
On the other hand, the program provides physicians with access to up-to-date scientific information on GIST diagnosis, response evaluation, risk stratification, multidisciplinary approaches and treatment options as well as the latest clinical trial results.
To promote continuing medical education (CME), a core group of experts will conduct regular scientific fora on GIST management in partner-hospitals.
“The GIST Alliance Philippines program is consistent with the TMC philosophy of enabling patients to become equal, informed and empowered partners in the pursuit and preservation of health,” said Dr. Eugenio Ramos, head of the TMC Medical Services Group.
“We are pleased to work with Novartis in enhancing physicians’ diagnostic and management skills and promoting patient awareness through the GIST Alliance Philippines program,” said Dr. Daniel Alonzo, consultant and director of the TMC Cancer Program.
“This innovative program will be a big help in promoting early detection and prompt treatment of GIST,” said Dr. Manuel Francisco Roxas, head of the TMC Colorectal Cancer Unit.
“The GIST Alliance Philippines program represents our strong commitment to develop and deliver a comprehensive treatment strategy to KIT-positive GIST Filipino patients,” said Maria Amelia Palo, Oncology Business Unit head of Novartis Healthcare Philippines. Novartis Oncology is the global leader in KIT-positive GIST therapy.
While surgery is the standard treatment for primary resectable (operable) GIST, it is seldom curative. By five years after complete removal of their tumor, half of the patients who undergo surgery have relapsed.
Novartis developed and markets imatinib, the first-line treatment in patients with metastatic (spreading) or unresectable (non-operable) GIST.
Imatinib is well tolerated and results in durable objective response or stable disease in approximately 85 percent of patients with advanced GIST.