Health Ministry: Cancer is the number two killer in Malaysia
PUCHONG: Health Ministry said cancer had caused 16,000 deaths in 2018 alone, making it the number two killer ailment in Malaysia after heart disease.
Its director general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said that there are 10 types of cancer plaguing Malaysians to date; which are breast, colorectal, lung, lymphoma, nasopharynx, leukemia, prostate gland, liver, cervical and ovarian cancers.
“According to the latest Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report, there is an increase of new cases from the period between 2012 and 2016 with 115,238 cases detected, to 103,507 cases detected between 2007 and 2011,” he said in a statement today.
Hisham added that an average of 86 cancer cases were detected in every 100,000 male population, while 102 cases in every 100,000 female population.
“Colorectal, lung and prostate gland cancer are the highest detected in the male population.
“Whereas breast, cervics and colorectal cancer are also the highest detected among the female population.
“Leukemia and spinal tumour are usually detected in children among newborn babies to 14 years old, while lymphoma are detected among youth aged between 15 to 24 years old,” he said.
In terms of race, Hisham said that the Chinese community contract cancer the most, followed by the Malays and Indians.
“106 male and 117 female of 100,000 Chinese people suffer from cancer, while 74 male and 91 female cancer cases are detected in every 100,000 Malay population.
“Whereas 67 male and 107 female cancer cases are detected in every 100,000 Indian people,” he said.
by Irman Hashim
