Rx: Personalized cancer care
MANILA, Philippines - Hundreds of doctors from China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Australia, and the Philippines were brought together in Cebu by pharmaceutical giant Roche for the 8th Roche Asia Oncology Forum, a two-day conference on cancer treatment held in partnership with the Philippine Society of Medical Oncologists (PSMO).
The forum, part of Roche’s commitment to the advancement of oncology treatment, discussed novel and current approaches, recent advances, and future directions in the treatment and management of cancer focusing on relevant data in the Asian region.
“Cancer is a heterogeneous disease, and there is a need to understand ethnic and regional differences across tumor types,” says Augusto Villanueva, general manager of Roche Philippines, Inc. “Asia Pacific has made a significant contribution to recent global studies.”
The overall goal in Roche’s approach to cancer treatment is to make therapy more personalized, safer, and more effective, thereby reducing overall cancer morbidity and mortality. Under the Biomarker Program that combines drug and diagnostic test development expertise, Roche is uniquely positioned to provide a truly personalized care program. Roche is considered by many oncology experts to be a leader in providing cancer-focused treatments and diagnostics.
“There is really no difference between the quality of the medical care given to cancer patients in other countries and the care given to patients here,” notes PMSO president Dr. Maria Belen Tamayo. “What they can do in other countries we can also do here, so there is really no reason for our patients to go abroad.”
Says Dr. Aru Sudoyo of the University of Indonesia, a member of the forum’s scientific committee, “The greatest of Roche’s contributions are in the research field, the practical value of patient care, and in the field of teaching.”
Incoming 2010 PSMO chairman Dr. Dennis Tudtud says, “Roche is committed to providing complete medical education and opportunity for research. Most of all, Roche showed that in partnering with each other, we could translate academic knowledge to good clinical practice.”
