KUALA LUMPUR (ANN/THE STAR) – According to Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, nearly 250,000 Malaysians have been diagnosed as having cancer in only seven years, and more individuals are succumbing to the illness annually.
“From 2017 to 2023, a total of 248,207 cancer cases were reported in Malaysia. Deaths due to cancer saw a rise from 12.6 per cent in 2022 to 13.8 per cent in 2023, based on the Statistics Department data,” the Health Minister said when launching World Cancer Day 2025 here yesterday.
He stated that the top five cancer types impacting Malaysians were breast, colorectal, lung, lymphoma and liver cancer. Cancer is also ranked as the third leading cause of premature deaths in the country, after pneumonia and heart failure.
“Being told you have cancer is like receiving a death sentence. It can be very overwhelming for the person and their family. They struggle to cope and the financial impact is overwhelming,” he said.
To more effectively tackle the increasing number of cancer cases, he stated that the nation’s healthcare should focus on prevention and prediction instead of reaction.
Meanwhile, Dzulkefly announced that Malaysia would present a resolution on lung health at the forthcoming World Health Assembly in May, contributing to global health efforts.
He said this would be carried out in partnership with the World Health Organisation and 14 other countries.
“The move will make lung health a global health priority to encourage bigger investment in treatment and screening for lung cancer,” he said.
He also mentioned that the country will contribute to enhancing lung health in the region since Malaysia is now the chair of Asean.
This involves implementing an Asean standard for lung cancer screening and stricter tobacco regulations, he added.
