Southeast Asian women getting breast cancer care too late
KUCHING: More than 40 per cent of women in Southeast Asia (SEA) with breast cancer present themselves for treatment in hospitals at an advanced stage.
Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia president Ranjit Kaur said there are a number of factors contributing to this catastrophic phenomenon.
“Treatment can be costly and the disease can impair one’s ability to continue to be gainfully employed causing economic hardship and eventually having a devastating impact on cancer outcomes,” she said during the opening of the third annual SEA Breast Cancer Symposium (SEABCS) 2018 yesterday.
Ranjit, who is organising chairperson, said cancer care “does not seem to be a health investment priority” in Asean countries and few governments identify cancer as a barrier to socioeconomic growth.
“With little evidence available to articulate the economic impact of cancer on low and middle income households, and its relationship to treatment and health outcomes, a profound lack of understanding surrounds the burden of the disease.
“This is a growing burden in Asean countries and the world over,” she said. Because of this, she opined there is a dire need for Asean countries to engage in collaboration to combat the disease and deal with the socioeconomic impact of cancer, which is becoming a regional epidemic.
“The richness and diversity of our cultures, lifestyle, and background will give us the impetus towards a stronger regional collaborative partnership for the SEA region.
“Our proposed long-term collaboration and partnership will certainly add value to enabling us to gain greater access to cancer care and attain a good quality of life,” she added.
The inaugural SEABCS was held in Vietnam in 2016, while the second SEABCS took place in Myanmar last year.