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The Politics of Cancer

Romeo F. Quijano, M.D.Dept. of Pharmacology, U.P. College of MedicinePresident, Pesticide Action Network Philippines

Abstract

Cancer is not just a dreaded disease, it is also a political question. Looking into the various issuesrelated to cancer would give us a snapshot of the political climate. The overall picture is a disturbingone, something that is cause for serious concern. Something very much like cancer itself.

The connivance between big business and government in preventing the people from knowingthe truth about cancer and, thus, effectively shutting them out in the war against cancer, is welldocumented. The stories of coal mining, asbestos, smoking and pesticides are just a few examples. Eveninternational bodies, like WHO and other UN agencies, which often become the arena in the war againstcancer are highly influenced by political and business interests.

Policy makers, researchers, and most citizens, are pre-occupied with searching for the agicbullet This has been the thrust of cancer management since the advent of modern medicine. Yet, it is

very clear that cancer is not caused by a single factor but is an expression of a complex, multi-factorialdisease process that is not only physical but also social, and even spiritual, in nature. There has been toomuch reliance on Western ainstream medicine not so much because of advanced technology of theWest, but because of political and economic control of a few Western countries over the rest of theworld.

The prevention of cancer is hardly given attention, yet, this is the most reasonable thing to do inthe war against cancer since most cancers can be traced to avoidable exposures to various man-madefactors in the environment including industrial chemicals, food, water and air pollutants, variousconsumer products, occupational hazards and other pre-disposing social conditions. Big businessactively oppose the preventive approach because it cuts their profits and may even kill their business.Governments are reluctant to regulate because they have subscribed to the ree market

economicspeddled by monopoly capitalists. Not a few people seem to disdain the preventive approachbecause it would mean a drastic change in their selfish and consumerist lifestyle. Lack of information andunderstanding very often leads to a simplistic and defeatist conclusion that getting rid of chemicals andvarious products that cause cancer is impractical and impossible.

Investigating the various causes of cancer and addressing them are decisions that politicians andpolicy makers make with hardly any participation from the public. Research priorities are determined notby the public health need but by the vested interests of big business, the megalomania of career-orientedacademics and professionals and the opportunism of politicians. Management and control of identifiedcauses of cancer are mostly palliative in nature and designed to placate the occasional fits of publicoutrage rather than a serious effort to strike at the root causes. International rotocolsworked outthrough the UN mechanisms take too long to negotiate and are largely ineffective becauseintergovernmental bodies are more concerned with diplomateese rather than the problems at hand.Governments become more an instrument of deception and cover-up rather than pursuers of truth. Theburden of proof and corrective action is on the cancer victims themselves and the public at large.

The war against cancer is essentially a political process. The enemy is not cancer itself but thesocio-political system that puts profit interests over and above health and environment. The weaponsagainst cancer are not new technologies or agic bulletsbut empowered people. People must freethemselves from the various shackles of disempowerment: from ignorance, from their selfish interestsand apathy, and from the control of monopoly capital and their intrumentalities. To win the war, peoplemust organize effectively and take political action.

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