PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry (KKM) is set to propose mandatory cancer notifications through the Malaysian Health Data Warehouse (MyHDW) website to facilitate the collection of cancer data.
Currently, cancer notifications are voluntary, either through the website or manual submissions.
“Based on the latest report by the National Cancer Registry 2017 – 2021, a total of 34,332 new cancer cases were reported in 2020 and 31,688 new cases in 2021.”
“I view this matter seriously.
“Currently, cancer notification is voluntary. I believe we need to make it mandatory,“ Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad told the Dewan Rakyat, today.
He was responding to a question by Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Puchong) regarding the annual incidence of new cancer cases in Malaysia.
He highlighted that Malaysia documented 10 major types of cancers from 2017 to 2021, stating that breast cancer, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, uterine corpus (endometrial) cancer and ovarian cancer are the top five cancers among women, while colorectal cancer, lung cancer, prostate cancer, liver cancer and lymphoma are predominant among men.
He disclosed that in 2023, 53,679 colorectal cancer screenings were conducted using the Immunochemical Fecal Occult Blood Test (iFOBT) under the Early Detection Screening Program.
“1,701,449 women aged 20 to 65 underwent clinical breast examinations through the Breast Cancer Screening Early Detection Program at health clinics and village clinics nationwide,“ he added.
“For cervical cancer screening via Pap smear and Human Papillomavirus (HPV) testing in 2023, 364,689 women aged 30 to 65 underwent screening using these methods,“ he concluded.
The proposal aims to streamline data collection efforts and improve cancer surveillance across the country.
