COLORECTAL cancer is one of the most common cancer in Malaysia, with about 5,000 cases recorded annually and affecting 15 in every 100,000 men.
Unfortunately, almost three quarters of cases are diagnosed late, significantly reducing the chances of recovery, said Malaysian Society of Colorectal Surgeons president Dr Nurhashim Haron.
“Early-stage colorectal cancer carries about an 80% to 90% chance of cure.
“But many of our patients are detected only at stage three or four,” he said during the Coloproctology 2026 and 13th Biennial Congress of the Asean Society of Colorectal Surgeons at the Setia SPICE Convention Centre, Penang.
He said symptoms such as abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits or the presence of blood in stools should not be ignored.
“If you have early signs, seek medical attention so we can carry out investigations and avoid missing or late diagnosis.”
He added that Malaysia has screening tools such as stool tests to detect hidden blood, which should be followed up with a colonoscopy if results were positive.
“Screening is crucial as it helps individuals without symptoms.
“Although screening traditionally begins at age 50, it should now start at 45.
“We are seeing younger cases based on the National Cancer Registry data, and this trend is increasing.”
He said age-standardised incidence rates (ASR) per 100,000 people had risen from 14.8 between 2012 and 2016 to 18.8 between 2017 and 2021, reflecting a steady increase over the past decade.
Penang health committee chairman Daniel Gooi said about 74.9% of colorectal cancer cases are detected at stage three and four, making treatment more complex.
“While awareness for women’s health, particularly breast cancer, is strong through campaigns such as Pink October, men’s health awareness still lags behind.
“In the past two years, we have organised health carnivals focusing on men to increase awareness,” he said.
Also present at the congress, attended by about 500 delegates, was the event’s scientific committee chairman Dr Elaine Ng Hui Been.
According to the Malaysian National Cancer Registry Report 2007-2011, colorectal cancer was the second most common cancer in Malaysia, accounting for 13.2% of cases with an incidence rate of 21.3 new cases per 100,000 population.
Data from the Malaysian Study on Cancer Survival (MySCan) showed that one-year relative survival for colorectal cancer was 87.8% at stage one, dropping sharply to 55.1% at stage four.
