The 1^st East Coast Surgical Symposium (ECSS) centred on Breast Cancer was held in the Auditorium of the Kuliyyah of Medicine, Indera Makhota Campus, International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) in Kuantan, Pahang from 12-13 May 2007. The event was jointly organised by the Departments of Surgery of IIUM and Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan together with the IIUM Breast Centre. The organising chairman was Dr Shahrun Niza Abdullah Suhaimi.

The symposium was designed to be a platform to deliver knowledge and experience from around the country as well as to delineate the role of healthcare providers in the management of breast cancer. It was a very well attended symposium with support from varied companies setting up a mini-trade exhibition. The symposium was launched in a short opening ceremony by the Dean, Kulliyyah of Medicine IIUM, Prof Dato’ Dr Md Tahir Azhar.

It was a multidisciplinary symposium involving surgeons, radiologists, pathologists, psychiatrist, clinical oncologists, plastic surgeon with a public forum on critical issues such as management of stress in patients, a survivor’s story, rethinking strategy in breast cancer education, encouraging patients to seek early treatment and the success and challenges of the IIUM Breast Centre.

The faculty of speakers consisted of Prof Dato’ Dr Md Tahir Azhar (Clinical Oncologist & Dean, Kulliyyah of Medicine, IIUM), Prof Dr Yip Cheng Har(Consultant Surgeon, University Malaya Medical Centre), Dr Mukarramah Che Ayub (Head, Dept of Pathology, Hospital Kota Bahru), Prof Dr Humairah Samad Cheung (Consultant Radiologist & Director, IIUM Breast Centre), Prof Dr A. Zulfiqar (Senior Consultant Radiologist, Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia), Dr Evelyn Ho (President, College of Radiology Academy of Medicine of Malaysia), Dato’ Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Wahid (Clinical Oncologist, Pantai Medical Centre), Dr Foo Yoke Cheng (Clinical Oncologist, Subang Jaya Medical Centre), Dr Mohd Rafie Mohd Kaslan (Consultant Pathologist, Hospital Putrajay), Dr Patricia Gomez (Consultant Surgeon, Pantai Medical Centre), Dr Somasundram Sathappan (Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Subang Jaya Medical Centre), Dr Naqiyah Ibrahim (Consultant Surgeon, Department of Surgery, Hospital University Kebangsaan Malaysia), Dr Yahya Md Aripin (Breast and Endocrine Surgeon, UNIMAS), Prof Dr Syed Hassan Almashoor (Head, Department of Psychiatry, UiTM) and Dr Nora Mat Zin (Head, Department of Psychiatry, IIUM).