NCCN to launch tailored cancer treatment guidelines for the Philippines

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is partnering with medical groups in the Philippines to develop tailored cancer treatment guidelines, matching global medical standards with local healthcare resources.

The US-based alliance of academic cancer centres is working with the Philippine Society of Medical Oncology (PSMO), the Society of Gynecological Oncologists of the Philippines (SGOP), and the country's Department of Health (DOH). The project was detailed during oncology conferences in Montreal and Manila this month.

The initiative will see NCCN’s clinical guidelines adapted to fit the specific regulatory and clinical realities of the Philippines. The collaboration aims to standardise care, reduce treatment disparities, and make evidence-based recommendations more practical for local hospitals.

What cancers are covered?

The adaptations will target ten of the most common and complex cancers in the country. Under the partnership with the PSMO, guidelines are being developed for:

• Breast cancer
• Lung cancer
• Colon cancer
• Rectal cancer
• Prostate cancer
• Hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer)
• B-cell lymphomas

Additionally, NCCN is working with the SGOP and the International Gynecologic Cancer Society (IGCS) to adapt guidelines for three major gynecologic cancers:

• Cervical cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Uterine cancer

All of these adapted guidelines will eventually be made available online for free.

Integration into national health policy

On 6 October, representatives from the PSMO, the DOH, and the NCCN met to discuss how to embed these adapted guidelines into the Philippines' national health programmes under the National Integrated Cancer Control Act (NICCA).

To share practical experiences of how this works elsewhere, the meeting heard from Professor Jacek Jassem of the Medical University of Gdańsk, who outlined how Poland successfully implemented its own adapted NCCN guidelines.

Dr Hiyasmin A. Alejandro, PSMO vice president and co-lead of the project, said the collaboration allows local specialists to "seamlessly combine global clinical standards with our local expertise and regulatory environment." She added that the move would empower Filipino healthcare providers to deliver more consistent and equitable care across the country.

Dr Doris Benavides, the immediate past president of SGOP, said adapting guidelines for gynecologic cancers ensures that recommendations are "grounded in the realities of local practice in various regions of the country."

A growing global footprint

The work in the Philippines is part of a broader push to internationalise cancer standards. NCCN and the IGCS have recently signed a new memorandum of understanding to explore tailoring gynecologic cancer guidelines for other regions around the world.

To date, the NCCN has established more than 90 international adaptations and translated its guidelines into more than 180 languages.