Third, fourth stage breast cancer patients late in seeking treatment

KOTA BARU: Most third and fourth stage breast cancer patients seek medical treatment late because they are embarrassed to go through the process, says a health expert.

Instead, these patients were more into traditional treatment, said Wan Fatihah Wan Sohaimi, head of the Nuclear Medicine, Radiotherapy and Oncology Department of Universiti Sains Malaysia (HUSM) in Kubang Kerian here.

By the time the patients went to see a doctor, about 60% of them were already in critical stage, she said.

“Women over the age of 40 should go for early cancer screening such as pap smear and mammogram as a precautionary measure.

“If they come to seek treatment early, like when they are in stage one, the chances of them being cured will be higher, ” she told reporters after attending the “Walk For Cancer Survivors 1.0” programme at the Sports Complex 2 of the USM Health Campus, Kubang Kerian here yesterday.

The participants were flagged-off by the campus deputy director Professor Dr Adam Husein.

Wan Fatihah said based on the department’s statistics last year, there were 828 new cancer cases and 4,000 recurrence cases, with breast cancer the highest, totaling 1,097 cases.

“Most of the patients who were diagnosed early with breast cancer seemed not bothered by it, despite being told of the lump or small tumour they had because they did not feel any pain, ” she added. — Bernama