KUCHING, Oct 25 (Bernama) —The risk of Malaysian women developing breast cancer has increased to one in 23, compared with one in 27 previously, Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said.
She said breast cancer remained the most common cancer among women in Malaysia, according to the Malaysian National Cancer Registry reports for 2012–2016 and 2017–2021.
Nancy said low screening rates remained a major concern, with the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2023 finding that 71 per cent of women aged 40 and above had never undergone a mammogram, while 46 per cent did not practise breast self-examination.
“This low screening rate complicates early detection efforts, even though the survival rate for patients detected at an early stage can reach 95 per cent,” she said at Sarawak’s state-level Breast Cancer Awareness Month event here today.
To improve access to early screening, the government introduced the Mammogram Examination Subsidy Programme through the National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN) in 2007.
The programme was later strengthened and rebranded as WeCaRe, which promotes awareness of both breast and cervical cancer among women.
As of Sept 30, a total of 598,919 women nationwide had benefited from the programme, including 90,075 in Sarawak.
Of the women screened in Sarawak, 88 tested positive for cancer, Nancy said.
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