Revised 08/02/2012
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CoR Mammogram Report 2001-2011
The CMP reaches One Decade of Service
Compiled by Dr Evelyn Ho
| The map gives us the distribution of participants for the CoR Mammogram Programme (CMP) over the last decade. A total of 8,218 women have been part of the programme which is now focused in the East Coast and Southern state of West Malaysia. The reason for this is because of the availability of a more holistic approach to provision of this early detection or diagnostic service in relatively underserved areas.
As with any programme of early detection or even offer of diagnostic services, anxiety may be created from false positives (lesions that did not turn out to be cancer), true positives (true cancer diagnosis) or even biopsies to further evaluate suspicious lesions. The CMP strives to ensure this is minimised and any patient with a suspected or a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer is overseen by a support group. The mammogram provider is accredited (accreditation was introduced in 2004) to create awareness of the need of standards and quality mammograms. In addition, the mammogram provider and support group would also network with surgical and oncology services if needed. The CMP began in 2001 with the inaugural nationwide breast cancer awareness campaign organised by the College of Radiology and the MMA Foundation Radiology Fund.Malaysia does not have a population based screening programme and most of the women who access mammography or breast imaging services have symptoms or signs or may have increased awareness of breast imaging as a result of family members, friends, colleagues being diagnosed with breast cancer. Those considered high risk are counseled or encouraged to access screening mammography but only where it is available.
In at least one part of rural Malaysia, breast cancer was unheard off, much less the existence of breast imaging such as the mammogram (click to read story here). The CMP collaborates with the local breast cancer support groups which have been exposed to training in raising breast health awareness, counseling and support through Reach to Recovery workshops such as the ones held by the Breast Cancer Welfare Association.
| Currently, the breast cancer support groups through their breast health awareness activities vet participants for the CMP. The Johor Bahru Breast Cancer Support Group reports that for 2011, they see families of those diagnosed with breast cancer come forward and also participate in the CMP. It is an achievement for their advocacy activities over the many years to see this aspect of awareness come to fruition. They have also fine-tuned their road shows, and in addition to breast self-awareness creation, they also plan to target various segments of society in different locales. They are currently following through with 2 of the participants diagnosed in December 2011 with a possibly suspicious lesion and another for regular follow up for probably benign lesions. Another lady was diagnosed with breast cancer in Johor Bahru.
For the areas in and around Segamat, in northern Johor state, the CoR funds the costs of transportation to and from Segamat to the Breast Centre, International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM) in Kuantan, across the border to the state of Pahang. Three trips were done as of November 2011. Of the 485 partipants of the programme, there were at least 11 ladies who were on surveillance mammograms after having been diagnosed with breast cancer from the previous years. One of the challenges annually is the rainy season causing floods, and interrupting the schedules at the end of the year. It was the same again in 2011. Two ladies were diagnosed to have breast cancer but were in the early stages and undergoing treatment. However, one lady who already had been treated previously with mastectomy was diagnosed with secondaries. The CMP through our accredited provider at IIUM Breast Centre, Kulliyyah of Medicine, Kuantan, Pahang ran from 6th April 2011 until 14th December 2011. There were 436 Chinese women, 29 Malays, 17 Indian, and only 3 in the "Others" category. They were from Johor and Negeri Sembilan. The women were aged range between 40 and 76 years, with the mean age of 58 years. Most of them (262 women) never had a mammogram before. Among the 485 patients, 38 had a family history of breast cancer. One hundred and thirty women (130) had breast ultrasound as a complementary examination. Three hundred and nineteen women (319) had normal mammograms (Category 1), 137 were in Category 2, 25 in Category 3, and 4 in Category 4. Four women had biopsies (3 were done in IIUM Breast Centre) and 1 had Stereotactic Biopsy in Hospital Tuanku Ampuan Afzan, Kuantan (the government general hospital). The total number of proven cancers was 2; both were invasive ductal carcinoma. One had fibrocystic changes with focal usual ductal hyperplasia, and the other one had no malignancy. Statistics for 2011
A total of 646 accessed the CMP, 99.7% from Johor and 0.3% from Negeri Sembilan. The majority of those accessing the CMP were Chinese (90%). 55.4% were first timers to the mammogram. The patients ranged from 40-76 years of age with mean age of 55 years. 25% of all the mammograms done needed adjunct ultrasound examination. About 9% had family history of breast cancer. Of the two diagnosed with invasive ductal cancer (confirmed on tissue diagnosis), only 1 had a family history of breast cancer.
| Support Groups and Mammogram Providers At Work and Big Thank You to Estee Lauder Too!
The CMP would not be able to materialise or continue if not for the collaboration of our breast cancer support groups as well as the mammogram providers. Funding for the past few years has been thanks to Estee Lauder Companies Annual Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign in Malaysia.
|  |  |  | At the Breast Cancer Support Group JB (BCSGJB) Centre (Mondays-Fridays) | BCSGJB at the Klinik Kesihatan Tebrau 15 Oct 2011 |  |  |  | BCSGJB at Tzu-Chi’s Health Awareness Campaign 3 Dec 2011 | BCSGJB at Stulang Darat 10 Dec 2011 | Participants from in and around Segamat are provided transport to IIUM Breast Centre |  |  |  | Participants from in and around Segamat are provided transport to IIUM Breast Centre | Participants at IIUM Breast Centre, Kuantan |  |  | | Participants at the Puteri Specialist Centre, Johor Bahru | |
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| 
 NCR 2003 Report: Breast Cancer is still the top cancer amongst women 
Latest statistics from
the National Cancer Registry (NCR) show
that lung cancer is the most common cancer experienced by men in the country, whilst
breast cancer is the top cancer in women. Lung cancer accounts for 13.8 per cent of cancer cases among men. For women, breast cancer accounts
for 31 per cent of cases. Click here for National Cancer Registry Reports | |
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