Category: health

St. Luke’s Human Cancer Biobank: The Future of Cancer Care

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The Research and Biotechnology Group and Cancer Institute of St. Luke’s Medical Center – Quezon City launched the country’s first Human Cancer Biobank. First in the country, Its primary aim is to collect tumor specimens from patients with cancer, preserve and store these for study by St. Luke’s scientists and cancer experts and analyze the cells on a genetic and molecular level to discover their fundamental components. This groundbreaking facility charts a viable path towards the future of cancer care.

Imagine a world wherein patients receive treatments that tailor fit an individual based on their body and particular disease. Correspondingly, these patients can therefore be tested to determine if they are prone to developing seriousness illnesses in the future and ultimately prevent this from happening by altering their genetic make-up.

“This is the Human Cancer Biobank Project, that we have conceptualized last year, as we saw the need for more precise treatment options for patients”, exclaimed St. Luke’s Medical Center President and CEO Dr. Edgardo R. Cortez during an interview.

Through collaboration with other experts in the country and throughout the world, the St. Luke’s Human Cancer Biobank is the breakthrough project that will pave the way for invention and discovery of innovative methods of diagnosis and treatment of patients for a better tomorrow.

St. Luke’s Human Cancer Biobank: The Future of Cancer Care

PRNEWS Admin Leave a comment

The Research and Biotechnology Group and Cancer Institute of St. Luke’s Medical Center – Quezon City launched the country’s first Human Cancer Biobank. First in the country, Its primary aim is to collect tumor specimens from patients with cancer, preserve and store these for study by St. Luke’s scientists and cancer experts and analyze the cells on a genetic and molecular level to discover their fundamental components. This groundbreaking facility charts a viable path towards the future of cancer care.

Imagine a world wherein patients receive treatments that tailor fit an individual based on their body and particular disease. Correspondingly, these patients can therefore be tested to determine if they are prone to developing seriousness illnesses in the future and ultimately prevent this from happening by altering their genetic make-up.

“This is the Human Cancer Biobank Project, that we have conceptualized last year, as we saw the need for more precise treatment options for patients”, exclaimed St. Luke’s Medical Center President and CEO Dr. Edgardo R. Cortez during an interview.

Through collaboration with other experts in the country and throughout the world, the St. Luke’s Human Cancer Biobank is the breakthrough project that will pave the way for invention and discovery of innovative methods of diagnosis and treatment of patients for a better tomorrow.

MakatiMed opens center for LASIK, cataract surgery

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Makati Medical Center recently inaugurated the Dr. Ramon J. Ongsiako, Jr. Cataract and Refractive Laser Surgical Center (RJO Center), a state-of-the-science eye center equipped with the latest medical devices and computer-guided technology dedicated to help people suffering from nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism or age-related vision problems.

According to Department Chairman Benjamin M. Abela, Jr. MD, outpatient surgical procedures in the RJO Center will utilize femtosecond laser.

In LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis) surgery, which is used to treat nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, the femtosecond laser is used to create a flap in the patient’s cornea (the clear, protective outer layer of the eye). The flap is necessary to prepare the eye for laser Ablation (reshaping of the cornea through light energy) in order to correct the patient’s vision. Patients with stable eye grades ranging from 125 to 1,400 can undergo this surgery, according to Dr. Abela.

A cataract, often related to aging, is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision, and cataract surgery involves removing this cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial lens. In cataract surgery, the femtosecond laser is used to create an incision in the area where the sclera (white of the eye) meets the cornea, and enables the surgeon to dissect the lens material into quadrants to enable ease in piece-by-piece removal of the material.

“For cataract surgeons, the use of femtosecond lasers further minimizes the already low complication rate of this procedure by providing great ease in removing the cataract,” said Dr. Abela.

Since the femtosecond laser is more precise in creating corneal incisions, this technology available at the RJO Center reduces collateral tissue damage and complications that lead to post-operative visual problems, making cataract and LASIK surgery safer, easier, and more effective.

“We’re confident this Center will establish MakatiMed as a leader in eye care,” Dr. Abela said.

Renato T. Salud, MakatiMed’s new Chief Operations Officer, spoke on behalf of Rosalie R. Montenegro, President and CEO, and said he is a “living testimony of the benefits and wonders of LASIK surgery”. He said he had undergone LASIK surgery and it had given him independence, confidence and perfect vision.

Medical Director Benjamin N. Alimurung, MD, said what Dr. Ongsiako stood for was “precisely” why MakatiMed named the center after him. “This is to remind us of the standards, the excellence, the bar set by Dr. Ongsiako,” he said.

MediCard offers rewards for outpatient visits

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MediCard Philippines, a leading HMO provider in the country, introduces MediCard Power-Up, a new promo that offers great rewards to all patients in MediCard free-standing clinics (FSCs).

To join, visit any MediCard FSCs nationwide from July 6, 2015 to April 29, 2016 and get your free MediCard Power-Up card. Each MediCard Power-Up card bears 12 spaces allotted for MediCard stamps.

You can earn MediCard stamps by availing of any of the following: consultation with a doctor (1 stamp), one consultation with one laboratory test (2 stamps), and multiple types of consultation with multiple laboratory tests (maximum of 4 stamps). Stamps cannot be earned with annual physical exam (APE), executive check-up (ECU), pre-employment exam, and claiming of exam results.

After earning your 12 valid stamps, submit your MediCard Power-Up card to the clinic supervisor at any MediCard FSCs for validation to receive a free MediCard notebook as a token of appreciation. You will also get the chance to win Php10,000 cash or be one of the 10 lucky winners of Bench gift certificates worth Php500.00 in the grand raffle draw on May 13, 2016.

To qualify for the raffle draw, fill out the raffle coupon attached to your MediCard Power-Up card with your complete name and contact details and drop it in the designated drop boxes at MediCard FSCs. Deadline for submission of entries is on April 29, 2016. Remember, more entries mean more chances of winning!

The MediCard Power-Up promo is open to all MediCard members and non-members. The MediCard free-standing clinics are located in Makati (MediCard Lifestyle Center and King’s Court), McKinley Hill (Taguig City), Ortigas (Pasig), Centris (QC), Fairview (QC), Alabang (Muntinlupa), Sta. Rosa (Laguna), Calamba (Laguna), Imus (Cavite), Clark (Pampanga), and Cebu.

Healthway Medical introduces FIT, a test to detect food intolerance

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Reactions to certain foods are quite common. However, some reactions go unnoticed until certain abnormal manifestations occur – internally (physiological) or externally (physical, i.e. on skin).Where food ALLERGY has almost an immediate reaction, food INTOLERANCE, on the other hand, does not immediately manifest. Sometimes, it takes as much several months or as short as days for symptoms to be obvious.

“Not knowing where you’re intolerant to could lead to chronic diseases such as abdominal bloating and fluid retention, inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, migraine, and asthma,” said Carmie De Leon, vice president for sales and marketing of Healthway Medical. “This makes a Food Intolerance Test all the more important.”

Healthway Medical, the most trusted and preferred mall-based clinics in the Philippines, recommends every children and adult alike to undergo a Food Intolerance Test (FIT) or Food Print Test to identify which food groups are safe to eat.

FIT is the most advanced and comprehensive laboratory service that detects the presence of igG-food specific antibodies to a wide range of food people consume every day.

Healthway’s FIT is inclusive of a consultation with nutritionist to guide you through the FIT service and to explain the findings of the test.

“Not having your test now can be potentially dangerous since some people have high IgG levels but do not experience the symptoms,” De Leon said. “There are others whoeven feel better short after they eat food at which they are intolerant to, but continuing to take these food groups may re-grow the symptoms to much worse cases. Still, once symptoms occur, it is recommended to avoid all other members of that food group unless tested negatively.”

De Leon concluded, “Early detection of food intolerance will go a long way in ensuring one’s optimum health. If you want to achieve a quality life, make sure to add sleep, right food intake, exercise, and de-stressing as part of your daily routine. When you start living a healthy life, everything else will follow.”