Cancer is one of Malaysia’s leading health challenges, with thousands of new cases diagnosed annually. Approximately one in 10 individuals in Malaysia will receive a cancer diagnosis in their lifetime.
The disease’s emotional, physical, and financial toll extends far beyond patients, to families, caregivers, and communities. Despite advancements in treatment and diagnosis, significant gaps remain in cancer care.
In 2025, it is crucial to reframe the narrative around cancer care in Malaysia to prioritise not only prevention and early diagnosis, but also enhance survivorship support, and foster greater collaboration across the wider cancer care community.
The recently concluded ESMO Asia Congress in December 2024 highlighted the vital role of patient advocacy in shaping policies and solutions that truly center on patients.
The inaugural ESMO Patient Engagement Summit brought together advocates from across the Asia-Pacific region, generating rich discussions on the challenges and opportunities in cancer care.
Five key themes emerged from the summit: Access to Diagnosis and Treatment, Prevention, Survivorship, Living with Cancer (Supportive Care/Quality of Life), and Patients’ Participation in Research and Innovation.
These themes underscore the breadth of issues cancer patients face and the need for holistic, patient-centered approaches to care.
BCWA Malaysia, the country’s oldest NGO dedicated to breast cancer support and early detection, has been at the forefront of empowering individuals since the launch of its Community Outreach team in 2011.
To date, BCWA’s trained and registered nurses have taught breast self-examination to 118,872 people and conducted free 49,034 clinical breast examinations, resulting in 1,643 suspicious findings that were navigated through the healthcare system.
Beyond early detection, BCWA Malaysia focuses on survivorship through peer mentoring, psychosocial programs, and community-building initiatives.
Survivors offer bedside, face-to-face, telephone, and virtual counselling to newly diagnosed women, while resources such as Comfy Kits, monthly group counselling, and expert-led programmes on health, financial literacy, and intimacy provide comprehensive support. Rehabilitation services include free handmade prostheses, affordable mastectomy bras, wig loans, and guidance on silicone prostheses and bra modifications.
Through its holistic approach, BCWA Malaysia empowers women to lead active, fulfilling lives during and after their breast cancer journey.
Shifting The Focus To Survivorship
While prevention is a cornerstone of cancer care, it is equally important to emphasise survivorship and improving quality of life for those living with, through, and beyond cancer.
Survivorship begins at diagnosis and continues throughout a patient’s life, encompassing physical, emotional, and financial challenges. Malaysia, as a middle-income country, lags behind high-income nations in survivorship rates, and limited data is available on survivors’ experiences.
One pressing survivorship issue is the reintegration of cancer survivors into the workforce. Employment discrimination is rampant and a lack of inclusive workplace policies often hinder survivors’ ability to resume their careers, exacerbating social and economic challenges.
Advocating for more workplace accommodations (such as extra leave for ongoing treatments and check-ups) and reducing stigma is essential to supporting survivors’ rights and their dignity.
Another critical aspect of survivorship is financial security. Cancer treatment brings significant economic burdens on patients and their families. Survivors frequently face barriers in accessing financial products such as insurance and loans, enduring higher premiums, unfavorable terms, and extensive paperwork.
Advocating for policies like the “right to be forgotten,” which ensures that survivors’ past medical histories do not unfairly impact their financial opportunities, is a necessary step toward reducing these long-term inequities.
Supporting Cancer Patients And Survivors Collectively
Improving cancer care in Malaysia requires a collective effort. Stakeholders — including patient advocates, healthcare providers, researchers, and government agencies — must work together to address systemic challenges.
The lived experiences of patients must guide this collective effort. By amplifying patient voices, stakeholders can better understand the realities of living with cancer and design policies that genuinely reflect patients’ needs.
Patient perspectives must be incorporated across the entire cancer care process – from prevention and early detection to treatment, survivorship, and end-of-life care.
As Malaysia confronts the growing burden of cancer, a shift in the narrative is essential. Patient advocacy must be prioritised to ensure that policies and programs reflect the needs and experiences of those most affected.
Greater emphasis on survivorship is critical to improving the quality of life for cancer patients, reducing long-term disparities, and building a future where every cancer patient and survivor gets the support, care, and dignity they deserve.
Hajra Makhatar is manager, patient support and advocacy, Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia (BCWA Malaysia).
- This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of CodeBlue.
