Materia Medica Malaysiana

Misinformation hampers efforts to tackle breast cancer

Misinformation and traditional taboos are hampering efforts to lower the incidence of breast cancer in the country.
In Malaysia, the disease is the number one killer of women, with the National Cancer Registry reporting 3,723 cases in 2003.
Prof Madya Dr Biswa Mohan Biswal of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) said, however, the chances of recovery today had increased with the availability of new drugs and medical advances.
Dr Biswa, who is with the university’s Department of Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy and Oncology, said modern treatments, including the use of the drug docetaxel, had “significantly improved” the survival rate for breast cancer patients.
“USM handles 700 to 800 new cancer cases annually, of which about 40 per cent are breast cancer,” he told a recent seminar for 120 cancer survivors at the USM health campus here.
“It is a highly curable disease if detected early but here, many patients disappear after they’re told that their breasts need to be removed.”
He said most patients would look for alternative medicine, but 80 per cent returned to the hospital after the disease had reached a critical stage.
“Other medicines can be taken as a complement but not as an alternative to the treatment they receive at hospitals. They should also discuss with their doctors before taking other medicines, as the drugs might be harmful and dangerous.”
Dr Biswa said women need not fear the disfigurement of breast removal.
“We have the technology now to reconstruct the breast by using excess fat from the tummy,” he said, “but most patients reject the idea.”
Dr Biswa said it was regrettable that in some cases, relationships between patients and husbands or families had turned sour after treatment.
“Some patients suffer from inferiority complex and withdraw from society. This should not be the case as they have recovered and can lead a normal life just like before the problem was detected.”