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Professor CH Yip[1] and Professor Omar Hasan Kasule, Sr[2]
Breast cancer is the commonest female malignancy in Malaysia and all over the world. Its incidence in Malaysia in 2000 was 41.9 cases per 100,000. In 2002, 4337 cases of breast cancer were reported to the National Cancer Registry with an incidence rate of 52.8 per 100,000 and accounting for 30.4% of all diagnosed malignancies in Malaysian women. One in 9 Malaysian women has a chance of developing breast cancer. Breast cancer incidence in Malaysia is intermediate between rates of industrialized countries like the US 91/100,000 and developing countries like India 19/100,000. This situation is not permanent since the rate in developing countries is rising as women adopt lifestyles f the developed countries. Disease risk varies by ethnicity. Lifetime risk is 1 in 24 for Malays, 1 in 14 for the Chinese, and 1 in 15 for Indians. The age at diagnosis shows an opposite pattern being highest in the Indians and lowest in the Malays. The differences among ethnic groups reflect different age structures and lifestyle choices (parity, breast feeding practice, diet). Genetic risk factors have not been studies thoroughly in Malaysia. The risk of the disease increases with age being maximal at age 50-59. Women in Malaysia present with larger tumors and at later stages than women in the US. Certain health beliefs, lack of correct information, and inadequate health care facilities are a barrier to routine early detection and treatment of the disease. There is in addition no mass screening program for breast cancer in Malaysia.
[1] Department of Surgery University Malaya Medical Center (preparation of the slides)
[2] Faculty of Medicine IIUM (abstract and presentation of the slides)