KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 23 — Aiming to raise awareness of the importance of early detection and cancer treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic, Beacon Hospital has embarked on the aptly named campaign “Cancer Won’t Wait”.
To date, Beacon Hospital offers free cancer specialist consultation under its corporate social responsibility programme. The programme has already generated more than RM33 million in financial aid to help ease the burden faced by many underprivileged patients.
The Beacon Hospital team of experts would like to encourage those with symptoms not to delay getting their diagnostic tests done..
“We are currently facing stressful and challenging times with the current Covid-19 pandemic. Yet, it is crucial to know that the long intervals between cancer detections, diagnosis and treatment could result in disease progression or treatment complications,” says Dr Mohd Ibrahim Abdul Wahid, consultant clinical oncologist and medical director of Beacon Hospital. “It is important that you don’t delay cancer treatments.”
If patients have developed new symptoms during the pandemic, they are advised not to delay seeing their doctors.
Cancer is a complex disease that can begin in any organ or tissue of the body when unusual cells develop uncontrollably, and go beyond their typical limits to attack adjoining parts of the body and/or potentially spread to different organs.
According to the World Health Organisation, cancer is the second leading cause of death globally, accounting for an estimated 9.6 million deaths, or one in six deaths in 2018.
Lung, prostate, colorectal, stomach and liver cancer are the most common types of cancer in men, while breast, colorectal, lung, cervical and thyroid cancer are the most common among women.