Caring for Someone With Cancer: A Guide for Filipino Families

Keep medicines and appointments in one place

Cancer care brings many doctors, tests and prescriptions at once. The American Cancer Society advises keeping one current list of everything your loved one takes, including prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, vitamins and supplements. Bring the list to every appointment and update it whenever something changes. If you use more than one pharmacy, write down each one's name and phone number, so the care team can check for repeated prescriptions or medicines that do not mix.

A large wall calendar helps the whole family keep track of important dates, and one folder or notebook keeps results, prescriptions and receipts together. Tell every doctor your loved one sees for other conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, about the cancer treatment. Ask the care team to give you instructions in writing, or write them down yourself. If remembering medicines is hard, a pill organiser, phone alarms or a written schedule can help.

• One medicine list: name, strength, when it is taken, and who prescribed it
• Herbal remedies and supplements go on the list too. Cancer Research UK warns that some, such as St John's wort, ginseng and ginkgo, can change how cancer medicines work, so ask the doctor or pharmacist before giving them.
• A notebook for questions to ask at the next check-up, and space to write down the answers
• Phone numbers for the oncologist, the clinic's after-hours line, the pharmacy and the hospital social worker

Infection and food precautions during chemo

Chemotherapy kills fast-growing cancer cells, but it can also kill healthy white blood cells, which fight germs. The US CDC says this makes infections more likely. Ask the doctor or nurse when your loved one's white cell count is likely to be lowest, and watch closely for signs of infection during that time. Everyone in the house should wash their hands often, especially before preparing food and after using the toilet.

The CDC advises calling the doctor right away if the temperature reaches 38°C (100.4°F) or higher, even in the middle of the night. Do not wait until morning. An infection that keeps getting worse can lead to sepsis, which is a life-threatening emergency.

Food can carry germs too. The American Cancer Society's food safety advice for people with weak immune systems includes washing hands with warm, soapy water for 20 seconds before and after preparing food, cooking eggs until the yolk and white are firm, and keeping raw and cooked food apart.

• Avoid raw or lightly cooked fish and shellfish (such as kinilaw, sushi or sashimi), and raw or soft-cooked eggs
• Avoid unpasteurised milk and juice, raw sprouts (including togue), and raw honey
• Skip buffets, salad bars, potlucks and food from sidewalk vendors while immunity is low
• Use a separate chopping board for raw meat, poultry and fish
• Refrigerate perishable food within 2 hours and eat leftovers within 3 days
• Cancer Research UK notes that grapefruit and Seville (bitter) oranges can affect how some cancer medicines are broken down. Ask the doctor or pharmacist whether your loved one needs to avoid any food or drink.

Staying safe with chemo at home

The American Cancer Society says people having chemo can usually be around family and friends unless their care team says otherwise. The thing to be careful with is body fluids. It generally takes at least 48 hours for the body to break down or get rid of most chemo, and some medicines take longer. During that time, chemo can be present in urine, stool, vomit and other body fluids, and a few simple precautions protect the rest of the household.

The American Cancer Society also explains that chemo tablets and capsules taken at home are just as strong as chemo given by drip or injection. Ask the care team whether you need gloves to handle them, keep them out of reach of children, and follow the storage and disposal instructions you were given. Some must stay in their original bottle or box, and some must be returned to the pharmacy for safe disposal. Ask how long precautions are needed for your loved one's specific treatment.

• If you can, give them a separate toilet. If not, wipe the seat with a disinfecting wipe after each use. Close the lid before flushing, and flush twice if the toilet uses little water.
• Wear two pairs of disposable gloves when cleaning up body fluids, and wash your hands afterwards. If body fluids touch your skin, wash the area well with soap and warm water.
• Wash soiled clothes and sheets in a washing machine, separately from other laundry. The American Cancer Society advises washing them twice in hot water. If they cannot be washed right away, seal them in a plastic bag.
• Ask the care team what precautions apply to anyone at home who is pregnant

Giving emotional support

People with cancer often feel worry, sadness, anger or numbness, or want to pull away for a while. These feelings are normal. The American Cancer Society says one of the most important things a caregiver can do is be there to listen. You do not need perfect words. Sitting together and asking how they are feeling often means more.

Ask your loved one how they would like you to help. Some want you at every appointment, while others prefer to handle most things themselves, and their choices deserve respect. A family meeting can help everyone ask questions and agree on who does what. If sadness or worry does not lift, help them find a counsellor, a support group or a faith leader they trust.

Looking after yourself

Caring for someone with cancer is demanding. The US National Cancer Institute (NCI) says caregivers can develop anxiety and depression, and that stress can show up in the body as tiredness, poor sleep, headaches, weight changes or higher blood pressure. Feeling tired, frustrated or overwhelmed does not make you a bad caregiver.

The NCI encourages caregivers to eat well, get some activity each day, rest when they can and keep up with their own check-ups. It notes that many caregivers say, looking back, they took too much on themselves or wish they had asked for help sooner. Hand specific jobs to relatives, friends or parish groups: driving, queuing for papers, picking up medicines, watching over the patient in hospital, cooking, or updating the rest of the family. If low mood or anxiety lasts more than two weeks, the NCI advises talking to your doctor.

• Make a list of tasks others can take, so it is easy to say yes when someone offers
• Take turns being the bantay at the hospital so no one carries it alone
• Choose one person to update relatives, so the main caregiver does not have to repeat news to everyone

Paperwork for financial assistance

Several government offices help Filipino families with the cost of cancer care. Malasakit Centers, required in every DOH hospital and the Philippine General Hospital under Republic Act 11463, are one-stop desks with staff from the DOH, DSWD, PCSO and PhilHealth. PhilHealth has Z Benefit packages for some cancers. In 2024 it expanded the breast cancer package to cover stages 0 to 4, and the Z Benefits Coordinator at a contracted hospital guides patients from pre-authorisation onwards. The DOH Cancer Assistance Fund, available at accredited access-site hospitals around the country, helps with diagnostics, chemotherapy, radiation and selected medicines, mainly for eight priority cancer types.

PCSO, DSWD (through its Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situations, or AICS), the Office of the Vice President and the Office of the President can also help, often through guarantee letters (GLs). A GL is a written promise from the agency to pay a partner hospital, pharmacy or other provider for a set amount. Rules change: in 2026 the DOH said patients can go straight to the DOH for its medical assistance programme for indigent patients (MAIFIP) instead of seeking a letter from a politician. Requirements, amounts and schedules differ by office, so confirm with the agency or the hospital social worker before you go.

The Philippine Cancer Society lists the documents most offices commonly ask for:

• Clinical or medical abstract, or a medical certificate, with the doctor's name, signature and licence number clearly shown. DSWD, for example, asks for one issued within the last 3 months.
• The latest prescription, dated and showing the doctor's licence number, and the treatment protocol or plan
• Price quotation for the medicines or procedure. PCSO asks for three quotations from different suppliers, while DSWD and the OVP ask for one.
• Social case study report from a social worker
• Barangay certificate of indigency or residency
• Valid government ID of the patient, plus an authorisation letter if a relative applies on their behalf
• Request letter addressed to the office, and biopsy or histopathology results if asked (PCSO asks for these)
• Keep photocopies of everything. Some offices let you apply again only every 3 to 6 months, and you may need the same papers again.

Getting medicines delivered

Reorder medicines well before they run out, especially specialty cancer medicines that may take time to source. When a delivery arrives, check the name, strength and expiry date against the prescription, and store everything the way the label says. Some medicines must stay cold. Buy only from pharmacies and suppliers licensed by the Philippine FDA, and ask the pharmacist about anything that looks different from before.

2MG Inc. is a Philippine FDA-licensed drug importer, distributor and wholesaler in Las Piñas City that specialises in oncology and hematology medicines. You can order online by uploading the prescription, and a pharmacist checks every one. In Metro Manila, orders confirmed before 3 PM arrive the same day; elsewhere in the country, courier delivery takes two to three business days, with cold-chain packaging for medicines that must stay cold. 2MG is an accredited provider for PCSO, DSWD, Office of the Vice President and Office of the President guarantee letters, and it issues official price quotations for assistance applications. For PCSO, a 2MG quotation counts as one of the three needed. Senior Citizens and PWDs get the 20% discount and VAT exemption on medicines. A guarantee letter and the Senior Citizen/PWD discount cannot be used on the same order; our team can tell you which one saves you more. For costs, see our price list.