Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman
  • 2 Cancer Hospital of Thessaloniki
  • 3 Roche (Malaysia)
MyJurnal

Abstract

Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in women worldwide. This study examined the use of spatial analysis and mapping to visualise the disease distribution. The geographic units used were the states of Malaysia. Breast cancer data was obtained from the National Cancer Registry Report 2007 and the female population data was obtained from the Malaysian Census 2010. A spatial analysis was used to analyse the data by indirect standardisation of the underlying female population of each state. Sarawak has a high standardised incidence ratio (SIR) of 16.81 compared to all other states of the country where the highest SIR was only up to 2.15. However, the age-standardised rate (ASR) does not reflect so. SIR could provide a comprehensive evaluation of the disease for further research and public health intervention.