Cancer society pushes on with education campaign

Efforts to focus on countering negative beliefs about breast screening among Malaysian women to increase uptake and reduce late diagnosis

PETALING JAYA: The National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) is determined in its aggressive public education campaign to halt the growing incidents of the disease.

Its managing director Dr M. Murallitharan told theSun that one in 10 men and one in nine women are at risk of developing cancer, with the five most common variants being breast, colorectum, lung, nasopharynx and liver, in that order.

“This is a serious issue and it needs all parties to work together to bring about public awareness, especially since in 2020, Malaysia reported 48,639 new cases. Cancer incidence in the country is predicted to double by 2040.”

He cited a study titled “Breast Cancer and Breast Cancer Screening Use – Beliefs and Behaviours in a Nationwide Study in Malaysia”, co-authored by Min Min Tan, Aminatul Saadiah Abdul Jamil, Roshidi Ismail, Michael Donnelly and Tin Tin Su, and published on July 10, 2023.

In the study, the authors said many upper-middle income countries, including Malaysia, continue to face low breast cancer screening rates and patients with delayed presentation of the disease.

Murallitharan said the study investigated whether beliefs about breast cancer and the use of screening reduced the possibility of patients dying from the disease.

He said 813 women aged about 40 were randomly selected and surveyed using the validated “Awareness and Beliefs about Cancer” measure.

“The association between breast cancer screening, sociodemographic characteristics and negative beliefs about screening for the disease were analysed.

“It was shown that seven out of 10 Malaysian women believed that breast cancer screening was necessary only when experiencing cancer symptoms.

“Women over 50 years old and from households with more than one car or motorcycle were 1.6 times more likely to attend a mammogram or a clinical breast examination, while about 23% expected to feel anxious about attending screening sessions, leading them to avoid it altogether.”

He said the study concluded that public health strategies or behaviour interventions targeting negative beliefs about breast cancer screening among Malaysian women may increase uptake and reduce late presentation and advanced-stage cancer.

He also said insights from the study suggested that women under 50 years old, in the lower income group without a car or motorcycle, and of Malay or Indian ethnicity are more likely to hold beliefs inhibiting breast cancer screening.

“This is why NCSM must continue with its awareness campaigns and raise funds to support its work.”

Muralitharan thanked UMW Toyota Motor Sdn Bhd (UMWT) for its RM200,000 donation, which was handed to NCSM on Wednesday.

“NCSM’s collaboration with UMWT continues to raise awareness about cancer and the impact it has on patients and caregivers. Its commitment towards our cause has positively impacted many lives and we aim to continue the good work together.”

He said the funds raised through the partnership would be used to ensure greater mobility for patients by providing them with reliable transport for treatment sessions.

“This would alleviate one of the significant challenges that many face in accessing the care they need. The funds would also help amplify our community outreach programmes, enabling us to extend our services to more areas and reach more individuals in need of support.”

UMWT president Datuk Ravindran K. said Toyota believes in the power of mobility to improve lives.

“We are honoured to partner with NCSM for the second time to support its fight
against cancer and make a difference in the community.

“We have no doubt that our donation would help in its excellent work.”