PETALING JAYA: Lung cancer is the third most prevalent cancer in Malaysia, while chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is also a major health concern globally.
Early detection can reduce mortality, shift diagnoses to earlier stages and help prevent avoidable hospital admissions.
“Lung cancer detected at Stage 1 or 2 can potentially be curable and offers much better treatment outcomes,” said Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Sivanaesan Letchumanan.
He was commenting on the Health Ministry’s National Lung Health Initiative, which is being expanded nationwide this year.
The expansion can only be successful if the healthcare system has the capacity to manage patients detected through the programme, say experts.
Dr Sivanaesan said early detection could significantly improve outcomes for several lung-related diseases.
“It is very important, and MMA strongly supports the nationwide expansion,” he said.
For COPD, he said earlier diagnosis and appropriate treatment could help slow the decline in lung function and reduce exacerbations.
With tuberculosis, he said earlier diagnosis and treatment could reduce complications and long-term effects, while also helping to limit transmission.
However, Dr Sivanaesan stressed that screening was only the first step and that the healthcare system must be prepared to manage the additional cases detected through the programme.
“The healthcare system must be prepared to manage the additional cases, with adequate diagnostic capacity, timely treatment and follow-up,” he said.
He said sustainable funding was crucial, adding that government clinics should be strengthened and healthcare workers involved in the initiative should receive appropriate training.
He also called for other key stakeholders to be included, particularly private general practitioners (GPs).
“Primary care is the gatekeeper in our healthcare system, and involving the private GP network can significantly expand the programme’s reach,” he said.
Dr Sivanaesan said public awareness would also be vital.
“People need to know who should be screened, where screening is available and why early detection matters,” he said.
Public health medicine specialist Professor Dr Sharifah Ezat Wan Puteh said low-dose CT screening could play an important role in detecting lung cancer early.
She said lung cancer could be difficult to detect early because symptoms might only appear when the disease had already become more severe.
Symptoms could include persistent coughing, coughing up blood, loss of appetite, weight loss and breathing difficulties.
Sharifah said low-dose CT screening could allow early tumours to be detected and potentially save more lives by enabling treatment to begin earlier.
However, she said screening should be targeted at people at higher risk, including those with a history of smoking, older people, those with symptoms and people with a strong family history or genetic predisposition to lung cancer.
She also hoped the technology could be made available in rural and lower-income areas.
