Cancer cases under-reported, says oncologist

One in seven Malaysians is estimated to develop cancer before reaching the age of 75, according to the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy.

Its White Paper on Cancer Care Challenges, Gaps, and Opportunities showed that even amid the Covid-19 crisis, approximately 49,000 people in Malaysia were estimated to be newly diagnosed with cancer in 2020.

This is expected to rise to more than 66,000 new cases annually by 2030, it said. 

Lifestyle choices and bad eating habits are among the reasons to which experts in the field attribute this rise.

The National Cancer Society of Malaysia (NCSM) recently said over 20,000 cases are discovered annually.

NCSM managing director Dr M Murallitharan also said over the past two years, there were more new cancer patients aged between their late 20s and early 30s.

Clinical oncologist Dr Jenson Sow believes...