It is difficult to draw up a profile of the typical Malaysian woman with breast cancer. Breast cancer can affect any woman – of any race, background or age, rich or poor, married or unmarried, with children or without children. What then is the typical profile of a woman who develops breast cancer? Based on the data from the National Cancer Registry and the known risk factors for developing breast cancer we can try to see what a “typical”scenario is likely to be.
Race, lifestyle...
A woman with breast cancer is more likely to be Chinese, with a middle or upper middle class background, aged between 40-49 years old. She is likely to be single, or married with just one or two children. She will probably be a career woman, a bit of a worrier, and quite obsessive with details. If married, she and her husband are likely to be “yuppies” – upwardly mobile people, ambitious and materialistic. She is probably too busy with her life, with work and family, to worry about getting breast cancer. She has no time to get a mammogram done, or to practice breast self examination. Lump in the breast
After feeling a breast lump, usually accidentally while taking a shower, she will think to herself - “This is probably nothing – I cannot possibly have breast cancer. I will surely feel some pain if I have cancer”. After waiting a couple of months, and the lump is still there, she will start worrying. “What if this is breast cancer?” She will then see her doctor, who will refer her to a surgeon. The surgeon will order a mammogram and do a needle biopsy. Then he will break the bad news to her. “You have breast cancer”. After a period of shock and denial, she and her husband will learn to cope with the news, perhaps surf the Internet for information.. “How do we tell the children?” is the next question. Usually their children will be busy with school activities and extra-curricular activities that the parents have to chauffeur them to and fro from. Advice - help or hinderance?
Then there is also the extended family and friends, all of whom, when they hear the news, will come with all sorts of advice and who to see. The woman will be overwhelmed by all sorts of nutritional products said to be “good for cancer” and also horrible stories about chemotherapy and radiotherapy, even though these well-meaning friends and relatives have never undergone the treatments themselves. Her mother will tell her to go for traditional treatment, and drag her off to some obscure place out of town to see a sinseh, who will give her a potion to put on her breast. Just to be sure, he will also burn the breast with some joss-sticks to “get rid of the evil”. After a couple of months of alternative therapy, the lump is still there, and growing bigger. She will then tell her mother to forget the traditional medicine man – he is not doing any good. The couple will then decide to go for conventional treatment, and friends will tell them of some great doctor that they must see, probably someone who does not even deal with cancer. Through all these information and misinformation, with some luck, they will get to receive proper counseling regarding the diagnosis and treatment. The cancer will probably be in Stage 2 by now; however there is still a chance of cure with adequate treatment.
National Cancer Registry
This profile is based on the data from the National Cancer Registry, the breast cancer data from the University Malaya Medical Centre, and from the experience of a wide variety of doctors. The National Cancer Registry showed that Chinese women have the highest risk of breast cancer in Malaysia with a 1 in 14 lifetime risk of getting the disease, followed by the Indian women at 1 in 15, and the Malay woman with a 1 in 24 lifetime risk of getting breast cancer. This racial difference may be due to the risk factors that are responsible for the disease, which is different for each racial group. The Malay woman usually gets married earlier, have more children and breast feed their children longer than the Chinese woman. Having your first child early, having more children and breast-feeding for a longer period are well-known protective factors. Another important risk factor is having your menarche (first period) at an earlier age. The age of menarche is becoming earlier and is related to better nutrition during childhood. Although we have no data on age of menarche among the different racial groups, the Chinese are economically more developed than the Malays and this means better nutrition for the children. It is also well-known that a higher socioeconomic status means an increase in risk for developing breast cancer. A recent report suggested that it is the diet in early adulthood, in women in their twenties, consisting of dairy products and animal fats, which is a risk factor. Hence dietary differences between the different racial groups could be an important factor in development of breast cancer. Although occupational differences may have implications in the risk of breast cancer, studies have not shown any consistent occupational groups which is at more risk. Some studies showed that women doing shift work, especially night shifts, are at higher risk.
Again I would like to emphasize that breast cancer can affect any woman regardless of race, occupation, social background or age. It is important that breast cancer is diagnosed and treated early for the best chance of cure.
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