Johor Still Reports Most Cancer Cases, Study Shows

Women in Penang and males in Melaka are most likely to get cancer, according to the latest national report on cancer trends in Malaysia.

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 7 — Johor still has the highest number of cancer cases in Malaysia compared with other states, a new survey on the chronic disease found.

The Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report (MNCRR) 2012-2016 reported Johor as recording 16,434 new cases of cancer during this period, followed by Selangor at 14,784 cases. Johor was also top of the list with 15,312 new cancer cases in the earlier MNCRR 2007-2011 report, with Selangor in second place as well (14,475 cases).

Penang is no longer in third place for the 2012-2016 period but in fourth, recording 10,710 new cases this time around, replacing Perak (12,205 cases), which is now in third place. Sarawak and Sabah are still in fifth (10,297 cases) and sixth place (8,818 cases), while Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are now in seventh place (7,447 cases), and Kedah (6,759 cases) in eighth place. Kedah was previously in seventh place, and Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya in eighth.

The remaining states and federal territories with their new cancer cases for 2012 to 2016 are as follows: Pahang (5,962), Kelantan (5,888), Melaka (5,242), Negri Sembilan (5,216), Terengganu (4,233), Perlis (1,047), and Labuan (196). Terengganu, Perlis, and Labuan continue to remain at the bottom of the list in the latest MNCRR report.

For women, Penang is where they would most likely get cancer, at 140.3 women per 100,000 population, or age-standardised incidence rate (ASR), followed by Melaka (136.1 ASR) and Johor (121.6 ASR), according to the 2012-2016 report. The three most probable states for getting cancer in women used to be Penang, Johor, and Negri Sembilan.

From 2007 to 2016, cancer incidence in Malaysian women increased in Melaka, Johor, Labuan (drastically), Negri Sembilan, Perak, Sabah, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Terengganu, Pahang, Perlis, and Kelantan. It decreased in Penang, Sarawak, Selangor, and Kedah. Cancer for both genders decreased in Penang, Sarawak, Selangor, and Kedah.

Meanwhile, men in Melaka were more likely to get cancer when compared to men from other states and the federal territories, recording an ASR of 124.5 per 100,000 population, followed by Penang with 123.2 ASR, and Labuan (102.4 ASR), according to the 2012-2016 report. This used to be Pahang, Johor, and Melaka previously.

From 2007 to 2016, cancer incidence in Malaysian men increased in Melaka, Labuan, Sabah, Negri Sembilan, Terengganu, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, Perak, Pahang, Kelantan, and Perlis. It decreased in Penang, Johor, Sarawak, Selangor, and Kedah.

The MNCRR 2012-2016 report, which was published last Friday by the Malaysian National Cancer Registry, did not reveal why people in certain states are more prone to getting certain cancers.

However, it did reveal the breakdown of new cancer cases according to cancer type, by state. Breast cancer was most common among women and men in Selangor, Johor, and Perak, while colorectal cancer cases topped in Johor, Selangor, and Penang.

Trachea, bronchus, and lung cancer was also most commonly detected in Johor, Perak and Sarawak, while lymphoma cases were most commonly detected in Selangor, Johor, and Sabah.

The following are the rest of the cancer types and the three states where the chronic disease was most often detected: nasopharynx (Sarawak, Johor, and Perak); leukaemia (Johor, Selangor, and Sabah); liver (Johor, Selangor, and Perak); thyroid (Selangor, Johor, and Kelantan); prostate (Johor, Selangor, and Perak); cervical (Sarawak, Sabah, and Johor); ovarian (Johor, Selangor, and Perak), and corpus uteri (Johor, Selangor, and Perak).

Editor’s note: CodeBlue made a mistake about the number of cancer cases in Johor and Selangor in the MNCRR 2007-2011 report, as well as the rankings of cancer incidence in Kedah, and Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya in that report. We have since corrected the errors.

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