Dr Wan Azizah urges wider breast cancer screening access in rural areas, as 50.5% of Malaysian cases are diagnosed at Stages Three and Four
KUALA LUMPUR: Access to early breast cancer screening should be expanded, particularly in rural areas, to improve early detection, as 50.5 per cent of cases in Malaysia are diagnosed at Stages Three and Four.
The Prime Minister’s wife, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, said the effort required the involvement of individuals, families, communities and employers, including the use of technology to make screening more accessible to women.
“Most importantly, the reach of campaigns such as this must truly extend to grassroots communities, especially in rural areas, where women can benefit from technological advances to access screening.
“Besides that, women sometimes do not have the time. So, we want to look at how we can conduct outreach programmes,” she said when officiating the ESG Wellness 2026 Campaign in conjunction with Pink October here today.
Dr Wan Azizah, who is also Bandar Tun Razak Member of Parliament, said the Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report for the 2017-2021 period also showed that breast cancer was the most common cancer in the country, accounting for 17.6 per cent of all registered cancer cases.
She said a whole-of-nation approach should be adopted, involving all segments of society regardless of age and gender, alongside closer cooperation between government agencies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to ensure that awareness campaigns and subsidies reach the target groups.
“We should not work in silos. Awareness campaigns should be conducted as early as possible for all age groups, regardless of gender, as everyone can play their respective roles in ensuring that our loved ones undergo early breast cancer screening,” she said.
Dr Wan Azizah also suggested that Malaysia learn from Sweden’s approach of conducting annual screenings, as well as Japan’s practice of ensuring that employers provide female employees with time and facilities to undergo breast examinations.
Meanwhile, Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) deputy director-general (Clinical-Surgical) Prof Dr Nor’azim Mohd Yunus said the campaign focused on three main initiatives: the B40 Breast Cancer Diagnostic Fund under PPUMCare, B40 Robotic Breast Surgery Fund, and psychosocial support through the UMMC Candy Girls Support Group.
He said UMMC was committed to integrating clinical expertise, research and innovation, while highlighting the hospital’s achievement in performing Malaysia’s first robotic surgery for breast cancer treatment.
The Yayasan Canone Kianjoo also contributed RM250,000 to support robotic surgery for eligible patients from the B40 group, subject to clinical assessment. Meanwhile, the campaign had received cash contributions totalling RM417,080 from 55 sponsors and contributing partners as at Oct 15, he said.