Our Work
Removing Barriers
Having access to high quality care is a key part in improving survival rates for cancer patients; unfortunately, the majority of people around the world lack this access, and even with a good national healthcare system in place, many individuals are still unable to seek care in a timely manner, usually due to lack of awareness and access, and oftentimes, lack of accurate information about treatments.
Confronting these challenges, we work on making cancer care more accessible by bringing people to existing cures, instead of potentially losing lives due to inaction, and seek to encourage the Malaysian public to have less stigmatising views on cancer.
Mainstreaming Genetics
Mainstreaming Genetics
There is an unfortunate lack of availability for genetic counselling and testing in Asia. This is due to the high cost, lack of awareness among healthcare professionals, lack of access to appropriately trained genetic counsellors / clinical geneticists, and psychosocial barriers. Additionally, there have been limited studies on the prevalence of germline alterations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 among ovarian cancers.
Genetic testing results are unique to each individual, and must go hand-in-hand with genetics counselling. While genetic screening is offered by many hospitals, there are only three fully qualified genetic counsellors in Malaysia.
What We're Doing Now
- Working with many doctors around Malaysia, we completed the MaGiC study (Mainstreaming Genetic Counselling for Genetic Testing of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Malaysian Ovarian Cancer Patients), which increased access to genetic counselling and testing from 2% to 58% of ovarian cancer patients.
Patient Navigation
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.
In 2014, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Klang (HTAR) and Cancer Research Malaysia integrated Patient Navigation Programme (PNP) in the management of Breast Cancer patients. This was a pilot programme with the aim to overcome barriers faced by patient in the continuum of care. Recognizing the importance of the programme the hospital allocated a meeting room, now known as the Pink Ribbon Centre (PRC), as the location for the hospital-based navigation.
In this centre alone, in 2015, the total referrals of those highly suspicious of breast cancer stood at 1,034. The programme successfully navigated 669 breast cancer patients and recorded a total of 7,585 registered visit to PRC. Cancer Research Malaysia working together with the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) hospital to replicate the similar demonstration to other MOH hospital.
Through our collaborative efforts, in 2019, we have successfully launched and completed all the work in expanding the programmes to other centres in Hospital Queen Elizabeth 2, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Hospital Tuanku Ja’afar, Seremban & Hospital Umum, Kuching, Sarawak in the hope to improve Malaysian survivorship of breast cancer.
Be Frank Campaign
Be Frank Campaign
We conduct this campaign alongside Frank Chong, a Malaysian cancer survivor who participates in ultramarathons in order to raise funds and awareness about the signs and symptoms of cancers commonly found in Malaysia.
In our Be Frank Campaign, we reach out and educate the public on the reality of the impact that cancer has on our communities.
If you need more information about the signs and symptoms of cancer, please download our “Be Frank” booklet:
“There is life after the Big C, and it’s a beautiful one, too. And, like my life’s mantra, we all just have to start believing; I fought the good fight and this is where I stand today.”
- Frank Chong, cancer survivor
“There is life after the Big C, and it’s a beautiful one, too. And, like my life’s mantra, we all just have to start believing; I fought the good fight and this is where I stand today.”
- Frank Chong, cancer survivor