The right drug at the right dose for the right person. That is the goal of precision medicine. And what can be more precise than diagnosis and treatment guided by the patient鈥檚 genes themselves?
This has long been a goal of Filipino scientists and doctors involved in pharmacogenomics research, particularly in the treatment of cancer鈥攐ne of the leading causes of death in the country.
Toward this end, the UP Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) Cancer Institute inaugurated two new facilities for gene-based medical intervention on April 28: the Center for Precision Medicine, the clinical arm headed by pediatrician and geneticist, Dr. Eva Maria Cutiongco-Dela Paz; and the Next Generation Sequencing Unit inside the Molecular Pathology and Genomics Laboratory.
The inauguration was attended by Health Secretary Teodoro J. Herbosa and UP President Angelo A. Jimenez who underscored the important role of UP-PGH in bringing quality healthcare to ordinary Filipinos.
鈥淐ancer is not only physically and emotionally devastating; it is also financially overwhelming. And for far too many families, it becomes a battle they cannot afford to fight,鈥� said President Jimenez. 鈥淲hat we are opening today is more than just a facility. It is a promise. A promise that we can do better, and that we will do better for the mothers, fathers, sons, and daughters who walk through these halls searching for hope.鈥�
Indeed hope is needed in abundance when it comes to a cancer diagnosis.聽
In a release by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Mar. 23, 2025, neoplasms or masses of tissue formed by the abnormal growth of cells were reported as the second leading cause of death in the country. In its 2022 report, the PSA revealed that roughly 466,000 Filipinos were afflicted with cancer.
The 86-year-old UP-PGH Cancer Institute was created by Commonwealth Act. No. 398 to accommodate and facilitate medical treatment of cancer patients; to conduct research on cancer causes, prevention, and treatment; to look into and promote cancer-related activities in the Philippines; to provide and maintain laboratories and other facilities for professionals specializing in the cancer field; and to collect and disseminate cancer information.
In the last few years, the institute has offered new technologies in cancer diagnosis, such as advanced immuno-histochemical stains and molecular testing in pathology.聽 Chemotherapeutic agents have been made available and sustainable for most of Filipino patients鈥� treatment regimen. Fluorescence-guided surgery, minimally invasive techniques using the robotic system and intra-operative radiotherapy are part of the extensive oncologic surgical armamentarium of UP-PGH. Recently, the hospital opened the first public PET-CT scan facility procured with government funds.
The UP-PGH Cancer Institute continues with its plan to build the 300-bed UP-PGH Cancer Center as the first public-private partnership project of the current hospital administration鈥攁 project that aims to provide patients and staff a globally competitive facility. The institute attends to an average of 500 patients per day, or at least 60,000 patients in a year, around 40,000 of whom are indigent.
Jimenez best captured the inauguration鈥檚 relevance when he declared, 鈥淲e hope to make cutting-edge cancer diagnostics and treatment not only a dream, but a standard of care鈥攁ccessible, equitable, and rooted in Filipino compassion. This is the essence of our calling at UP: to pursue knowledge that uplifts, research that heals, and innovation that transforms lives. This work is made possible by the commitment of our doctors, scientists, researchers, and by the quiet strength of every patient who says, 鈥業 will keep fighting. I will live life to the fullest.鈥欌��
These latest developments at the UP-PGH Cancer Institute is the University鈥檚 way of saying, 鈥淲e are with you and will keep fighting for you.鈥�
