KUALA LUMPUR, July 19 — Malaysia has reported a rise in late-stage cancer detection, according to the newly released Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report 2017-2021.
The report indicates that the proportion of cancers detected at Stage 3 and 4 has increased to 65.1 per cent from 63.7 per cent in the 2012-2016 period.
The rise in late-stage cancer cases underscores findings from the “Malaysian Study on Cancer Survival” published in October 2018, which highlighted lower survival rates associated with delayed detection.
The Ministry of Health (MOH), in a statement today, described the trend as “concerning” and called for increased multi-stakeholder collaboration to enhance community awareness and improve access to early detection and treatment services.
“In general, Malaysia witnessed a notable increase in cancer cases reported from 2017 to 2021, partly due to the implementation of the new notification system and circular directive.
“Despite this, Malaysia continues to grapple with a substantial cancer burden. Hence, it is important for stakeholders to actively engage in cancer prevention, control, and treatment by strategically leveraging this data for planning,” the MOH stated.
The registry report identified breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, lymphoma, liver cancer, prostate cancer, leukaemia, nasopharyngeal cancer, uterine corpus cancer, and ovarian cancer as the ten most commonly diagnosed cancers in Malaysia in 2017 to 2021.
Colorectal cancer has the highest incidence among men, followed by lung and prostate cancers. Among women, breast cancer remains the most common, with colorectal and lung cancers also prevalent.
The report also highlights a positive trend in the incidence of cervical cancer, which has decreased from 7.6 per 100,000 women from 2007 to 2011 to 6.0 per 100,000 from 2017 to 2021. This decline is credited to the introduction of pap smear screening in 1969 and its subsequent free availability in government health facilities from 1998.
The MOH has further adopted the self-sampling HPV detection kit as part of its efforts to eliminate cervical cancer. Collaborative efforts involving the MOH, community representatives, universities, private health care facilities, and NGOs have been crucial in this progress.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey, pap smear screening coverage among women aged 30 to 65 increased from 23.1 per cent in 2019 to 43.2 per cent in 2023. This increase reflects significant progress in raising awareness and enhancing access to cervical cancer screening services.
The MOH anticipates a continued decline in cervical cancer cases as the HPV-vaccinated generation matures in the coming years.
