Don’t delay diagnosis of cancer

ACCORDING to the Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report (2012-2016), about 63.7% of cancer patients were already in their advanced stage (stages III and IV) at the time of their diagnosis.

Detecting cancer early can drastically improve the patient’s survival and quality of life. This in turn will significantly reduce the cost and complexity of treatment.

When cancer is detected at an early stage, the chance of survival beyond five years is higher. Delay in diagnosis could lead to a worse prognosis and even a higher risk for death.

The Covid-19 pandemic has left many people unsure about how and when to seek medical help. As such, the number of people being diagnosed late with cancer has increased, and this is cause for concern among healthcare professionals.

People are likely to be nervous about visiting healthcare settings during this pandemic. They might have questions like: “I have the signs, but what should I do?” “Is it safe for me to go to the hospital?” “Will I be attended to and treated?”

We would like to reassure these people that hospitals are following strict infection control rules to minimise the threat of Covid-19.

World Cancer Day in 2021 aims to inspire and encourage action from individuals to access early detection, screening and diagnosis of cancer. Early detection could yield a better prognosis and improve survival!

DR NITHIYA SINARAJOO

DR YOONG LEE YEEN

PROFESSOR DR MOY FOONG MING and PROFESSOR DR NORAN NAQIAH HAIRI

Public Health Department

University Malaya Medical Centre