Don: Malay breast cancer patients at loss

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The majority of Malay breast cancer patients prefer to seek the help of a bomoh rather than go to a hospital during the early stages of cancer.
They seek hospital care when it is too late. As such, more Malays die of cancer.
University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) surgery department head Prof Dr Yip Cheng Har said that based on latest statistics of the medical centre in 2004, 40% of Malay breast cancer patients went to hospitals only when the disease was at the critical stage.
“Most Malays prefer traditional treatment during the early stages. Among Chinese patients, only 15% go to hospital during stages three and four of the cancer,” she said.
“It has been proven that breast cancer can be treated with conventional (Western) medication through chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or a combination of the therapies.”
She said that Malay patients preferred traditional treatment because they were promised 100% recovery and told that it was painless and that no surgery was needed.
“There are also Chinese who seek traditional treatment. But the majority are Malays,” she said.
Malays also had a lower survival rate compared with the Chinese and Indians due to late diagnosis and treatment.
“Survival data over five years show that less than 46% of Malay patients survived compared with 63% for the Chinese and 57% for the Indians,” Prof Yip said after receiving RM100,000 for the UMMC Breast Cancer Resource Centre from Avon Cosmetics (M) Sdn Bhd.
The donation was for the resource centre's breast prosthesis fund to help patients who cannot afford prosthesis after undergoing mastectomy (surgical removal of the breast).
Universiti Malaya Pro-Chancellor Toh Puan Datuk Dr Aishah Ong, who was present, urged Malay breast cancer patients to change their mentality and seek treatment from hospitals before the cancer turned critical.
“I am not saying that traditional treatment is not good but they have to go to hospital if they have breast cancer, and our government healthcare services are free,” she said.
Prof Yip said that prosthesis or artificial breasts provided physical and emotional support for patients who have had their breasts removed.
“Of 300 breast cancer cases in UMMC, 240 go through mastectomy and very few of the patients choose reconstruction of breasts,” she said.
“Not everyone can afford a prosthesis because a good one costs between RM400 and RM500 while a bra for a prosthesis costs between RM100 and RM200.”