Interesting combination of candidates for next year’s election for Presidency, which of course now has a single 6 year term limit.


It was bad luck when Miriam Santiago announced 16 months ago that she had " Stage 4 lung cancer ". In her case, this appears to have meant it had caused a fluid collection around the involved lung ( rather than spread elsewhere ), and she was one of the 10-15% of non smokers who get such cancers. Only around 1/10 with Stage 4 survive 5 years in the UK, and less in the Philippines. The good news for her is that her cancer cells had " receptors " which could be blocked by one of a new type of drugs acting only on the cancer cells ( " biological therapy " )- as opposed to those which act on all rapidly dividing cells. The drug which worked for her was Erlotinib ( " Tarceva " ), only suitable - and affordable - for a few patients.


Senator Santiago is one of a growing number of well known people who - if they’re unfortunate enough to fall ill - willingly publicise otherwise confidential information about their treatment and progress, in the hope that it will help others. This year she filed a Senate Resolution in an attempt to make painkillers more readily available to Filipino cancer sufferers, many of whom have severe pain. Good health and luck to her !