KUCHING, Oct 25 — The risk of Malaysian women developing breast cancer has risen to one in 23, compared with one in 27 previously, says Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri.
She said that based on the Malaysian National Cancer Registry Report for 2012-2016 and 2017-2021, breast cancer remains the most common cancer among women in the country.
“More concerning, the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023 found that 71 per cent of women aged 40 and above have never undergone a mammogram, while 46 per cent do not practise breast self-examination.
“This low screening rate complicates early detection efforts, even though the survival rate for patients detected at an early stage can reach 95 per cent,” she said at the Sarawak state-level Breast Cancer Awareness Month event here today.
Nancy said that to widen access to early breast cancer screening, the government, through the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), has introduced the Mammogram Examination Subsidy Programme since 2007.
She said the programme was later strengthened and rebranded to WeCaRe, which encompasses awareness of breast and cervical cancer among women.
As of Sept 30, she said, 598,919 women in Malaysia have benefited from the programme, including 90,075 women in Sarawak, with 88 of them testing positive for cancer. — Bernama