00:00 Head and neck cancer is a complex form of cancer that can occur in your mouth, your tongue, your throat, your salivary glands, your skin, or even your voice box.
00:11 Now if left untreated, it can actually leave a person unable or there's a change in the way they speak.
00:19 It can affect the way you eat, how you drink, how you swallow, and even how you breathe.
00:25 Now as we observe World Head and Neck Cancer Day tomorrow, July 27th, let's take a closer look at the common causes of this cancer and some of their symptoms and some of the treatments that are available here in the Philippines.
00:39 Now joining us now live in the studio is Dr. Paula Francesca Padua.
00:43 She specializes in ear, nose, and throat and is a head and neck cancer surgeon.
00:49 Hello and welcome to the program, Francesca.
00:51 Good morning.
00:52 Let's first talk about statistics. How common is head and neck cancer here in the Philippines?
00:58 In the Philippines, it's actually very common since most of the risk factors for head and neck cancer is widely available.
01:06 Okay, that's a very important point. Let's talk about that. What are the risk factors when it comes to cancer of the head and neck?
01:12 Well, number one would be tobacco smoking. Next would be alcohol drinking. And then others just like the HPV virus, it's prevalent also.
01:22 Human papillomavirus, okay.
01:24 And other risk factors such as radiation, sunlight exposure for the skin cancer.
01:32 Okay. You talked about how smoking, alcohol drinking, and of course other elements in the environment are risk factors.
01:39 But what's important is how can someone tell what are some of the symptoms, what does a person feel that might be a sign of a head and neck cancer beginning?
01:50 So first, for the oral cavity, some would notice a non-healing ulcer.
01:55 For the throat?
01:56 Throat, yes. So if it lasts more than two weeks, three weeks, you should have it checked because it might not be just a simple ulcer.
02:05 And then another…
02:07 How about changes in their voice? Because it said earlier it can affect your voice.
02:10 It can. So usually it starts out as a rough voice and then it would lead to difficulty swallowing, difficulty breathing.
02:19 So if you're hoarseness, if you're hoarse for more than three weeks, you should have it checked.
02:24 Okay. So definitely it can be a sign of other things but head and neck cancer can be a factor here.
02:30 Now let's talk about some of the treatments available because a lot of people, when they hear the word "surgery," they're a bit apprehensive.
02:37 "I don't want this." But when it comes to head and neck cancer, surgery is actually a good thing.
02:41 Yes. Actually, for head and neck cancer, surgery is the primary treatment.
02:46 But for certain stages, for certain types of cancers, you can opt to do chemo radiation first.
02:53 But again, the best treatment would still be surgical.
02:58 Okay. So we're celebrating World Head and Neck Cancer Day tomorrow. What can our viewers expect or what can people expect?
03:04 Well, for the World Head and Neck Cancer Day, we have different programs such as lay forums to increase awareness,
03:11 free screening programs in different hospitals so that if you have some symptoms of the head and neck cancer,
03:18 you can have yourself checked and then see if this is really something to worry about.
03:22 Okay. That's very good information on that.
03:24 Now, when it comes to head and neck cancer, once diagnosed with that, what are the chances that people get cured and have a good prognosis?
03:31 Well, if it's caught at an early stage, prognosis is very good.
03:36 However, for late stages, head and neck cancer is a very debilitating cancer.
03:42 So the key factor there is that it should be seen early, treatment early.
03:47 Yes.
03:48 So if they want more information, they can attend the lay forums and the different activities that are in store for Head and Neck Cancer Day tomorrow.
03:55 Yes.
03:56 So thank you once again, Dr. Pago, for being with us this morning and sharing that information with our viewers.
04:00 You're welcome.
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