Removing Barriers
More often than not, improving access improves survival.
Patient Navigation
Malaysia has the worst survival of breast cancer in the Asia Pacific, with only 49% of patients having 5-year survival year in some public hospitals (as compared to 80% in Singapore and 92% in Korea). A major reason for this is late presentation and poor adherence to evidence-based treatment.
Studies in psychosocial factors show that fear, poor health education, and lack of empowerment among Malaysians are major reasons why they delay or default treatment. In order to address these challenges, CRMY identified the patient navigation programme as a potential community-based solution to improve the Malaysian survivorship of breast cancer.
Patient Navigation Programme is a programme spearheaded by Cancer Research Malaysia in collaboration with the Ministry of Health with the aim of managing breast cancer patients in the country, especially those from the B40 community.
Read More