CANCER CENTER

The Cardinal Santos Cancer Center is located on the lower ground floor of the main hospital building. It is dedicated to providing a holistic, comprehensive, and multi-disciplinary approach to cancer management. The facility, inaugurated in 2004 under the auspices of the country’s top surgical oncologist Dr. Samuel Ang, and Boston-trained Medical Oncologist Dr. Valerie Chan, was designed to encourage collaboration among the different specialties involved in the management of cancer. Hence, no other cancer center in the country can boast of having both radiation and chemotherapy units in one area.

It was also designed to encourage multi-disciplinary consultation between the patient and his family and the specialists involved in his care. A patient may wish to schedule a “family consult” through the patient coordinator and have the privilege of seeking the opinion of all the specialties concerned in one meeting, rather than getting 5 different appointments with 5 different doctors before a treatment decision is arrived at for his particular condition. It not only facilitates decision-making but allows the patient to experience the satisfaction of witnessing the collaboration of minds that must occur before a management plan is laid out for him. This is possible because the Cancer Center is staffed with local and foreign-trained doctors who are leaders in their own fields of specialization.

The radiation oncology department is equipped with state-of-the-art linear accelerators and brachytherapy machines. It can deliver 3D Conformal and Intensity Modulated radiation therapy which limits radiation exposure to the target tumor, thus sparing the surrounding normal tissues from the ill effects of radiation. It is the only center in the country that offers emergency weekend radiation therapy to unfortunate patients who develop spinal cord compression, superior vena cava syndrome, and other oncologic emergencies.

Our chemotherapy unit is manned by compassionate and competent medical oncologists and well-trained oncology pharmacists and nurses. The cost of most chemotherapy drugs is competitive, if not lower, compared to other centers and we are constantly working to make our drugs and services cost-effective, while maintaining quality and efficacy. Our pediatric hematology oncology unit offers a child-friendly environment where patients can play and relax while receiving chemotherapy. There is a child-life specialist on duty during office hours to give psychological support and counseling to the parents and their families as well.

The pain and palliative care section and its multi-disciplinary team of pain and palliative care specialties, medical nutritionists, psychiatrists, psychologists, and spiritual care providers make every cancer patient’s journey as dignified as it can possibly be.

We also have a one-stop shop for items that cancer patients may need such as wigs, prosthetics bras, and oils and gels for radiation and chemotherapy-induced mucositis and dermatitis. The center is also committed to research and is involved in international clinical trials that test the efficacy and safety of new drugs in Oncology.

After the initial shock of a cancer diagnosis, our patients are counting on us to re-orient them back to life, and lead them to arrive at intelligent decisions regarding their treatment that are founded on evidence-based options. It is our responsibility to make sure that all aspects of their care have been considered and addressed, and no specialty, technology, or therapy has been left unturned in coming up with the best management plan for him. Once this is achieved, then our cancer patients need not journey through this difficult phase in their lives with fear and trembling, because they have been offered no less than the very best. It is for this reason that Cardinal Santos Cancer Center exists.

Operating Hours:

Chemotherapy: Monday-Friday – 8:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Radiotherapy: Monday-Friday – 7:00 AM – 4:00 PM