Over 1K new cancer cases among Filipinos recorded in UAE every year —specialist

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – There are approximately 1,100 new cancer cases diagnosed among Filipinos in the UAE every year, according to a specialist who has been in the country for the past 10 years.

“This figure is in general; all types of cancer,” Dr. Mohanad Diab, medical oncology consultant, told GMA News Online.

Of this number, approximately 250 are new breast cancer cases diagnosed also annually, Dr. Diab said, adding that majority of these were documented in Dubai, followed by Abu Dhabi.

In all, Dr. Diab said the most common types of cancers recorded among Filipinos in the UAE are breast cancer, being the top one, followed by cervical cancer, colon and lung cancer.

 

“These are the most widespread cancer types among Filipinos,” he said.

Metastatic

Dr. Diab said percentage of metastatic cancer changes every several years. 

“Three to four years ago during the COVID pandemic, we got more metastatic disease than local disease. But now, we have started to see more local disease. It means, we have more early-stage cancer than late-stage ones,” the oncologist explained.

As for treatment, Dr. Diab said cancer patients are “treated usually with surgery.”

“For some, we give chemotherapy. Sometimes we give hormone therapy. It depends on the cancer diagnosis,” he said, adding that breast cancer patients are mainly given hormone therapy that blocks hormones like estrogen and keeps the cancer from  growing.

“We have immunotherapy (which uses medication to boost a person’s immune system to kill cancer cells). We also have targeted therapy (which uses medicines directed at proteins on breast cancer cells that help them grow), a lot of new medications that have improved the overall survival (of cancer patients) and have become much better than before,” Dr. Diab said.

Apparently because of this, the specialist said Filipino cancer patients need not return to the Philippines. “In the past, we knew several cases, who were forced to go back to their home country. But nowadays it’s not happening,” he said.

The UAE has support programs, which “work excellently” for patients who could not afford the financial cost of cancer treatment. “We have charitable institutions that are very helpful to expats, too,” he said.

There are approximately a million Filipinos in the UAE, half of whom are in Dubai, according to the Philippine embassy in the country. —KBK, GMA Integrated News