Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 393 in total

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  1. Armstrong RW
    Natl Cancer Inst Monogr, 1977 Dec;47:135-41.
    PMID: 349401
    Malaysia and Hawaii have several advantages for epidemiologic and laboratory studies on nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Both have multiethnic populations with different incidence rates of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and different life-styles. Malaysia has large populations of Chinese, Malaya, and Indians, and the number of cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma at any one time is comparatively large. Incidence rates for 1968--72, age-standardized to the World population, for Guangdong hua (Cantonese Chinese) in Malaysia were 24.3/100,000 for males and 12.0/100,000 for females. In Hawaii, the ratio was 12.9/100,000 for males and 6.7/100,000 for females. The small number of cases in Hawaii would require that research in that State be conducted in collaboration with research elsewhere with larger case numbers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  2. Armstrong RW
    PMID: 7167195
    The history of efforts to establish a cancer registry in Malaysia since 1961 is reviewed. In 1980, the staff of the Institute for Medical Research in Kuala Lumpur was authorized to develop an official registry that would combine the resources of the various university faculties, the hospitals, research institutes, and the Cancer Society. Special registries operate for oral precancerous conditions and for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). The topics of recent epidemiological studies include: a review of all cancers diagnosed at the University Hospital during 1972-74, the association of Epstein-Barr virus and NPC, social and environmental factors associated with NPC, oral cancers, and childhood cancers.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  3. Lin HP
    Ann Acad Med Singap, 1993 Mar;22(2):182-6.
    PMID: 8363329
    Significant advances in diagnosis and management have cured the majority of children with cancer. In the leukaemias, the commonest childhood malignancy, intensive induction-consolidation is important to ensure a lasting cure in about 65-80% and to eliminate the traditionally bad prognostic risk factors associated with less intensive treatment. Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) has a curative role in the minority who relapse particularly while on treatment. With few exceptions, most paediatric solid tumours are curable. Although the multimodal approach is responsible for the progress made, chemotherapy has emerged to play a dominant role. It has, in several tumours, obviated or reduced the need for radiotherapy and/or surgery. In Wilms' tumour and Hodgkin's disease, refinement of treatment is now in progress to reduce therapy-related morbidity while not sacrificing efficacy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  4. Hooi LS
    Med J Malaysia, 1993 Jun;48(2):185-93.
    PMID: 8350794
    A registry of patients with end stage renal disease was started from 1st January 1990 at Hospital Sultanah Aminah, Johor Baru. There were 126 patients in 1990 and 129 in 1991. The peak age was 31 to 60 years old; males outnumbered females 1.5:1. Forty-three to fifty-six percent presented with small kidneys. Seventeen to twenty percent of patients had diabetes mellitus. In 1991, the racial distribution of patients was Malay: 50.4%, Chinese: 39.5%, Indian: 7.8% and others: 2.3%. The incidence of end stage renal disease in Johor Baru district was 79 per million per year in 1990 and 86 per million in 1991.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries*
  5. Lee D, Balasubramaniam K, Ali HM
    WHO Reg Publ Eur Ser, 1993;45:193-218.
    PMID: 8442847
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  6. Chan CK, Singh J, Rasid BK, Devaraj T
    Med J Malaysia, 1994 Jun;49(2):122-31.
    PMID: 8090090
    2,124 cases of cancer diagnosed and/or treated in Penang between 1987-1990 were reported to the National Cancer Registry of Malaysia by hospitals in Penang. 1,762 met the criteria for Penang incident cases first diagnosed between 1987-1990, and were the subjects on which all subsequent analyses were based. 85 per cent of case notifications were from Mount Miriam Hospital. Among males, all-site cancer incidence rates (age-standardised) were highest among Chinese, and lowest among Malays. Among females, the Indian female incidence rate was highest, higher than that of any other ethnic-gender sub-group. Site-specific cancer rates varied according to ethnicity and gender, but overall the four most frequent cancers reported from Penang were breast, lung, cervix and nasopharynx cancers. It needs to be emphasised that all these results are highly tentative since they are based on notified cancer occurrences and hence are very uncertain proxies for true cancer incidence. Based on incidence rates from the Singapore Cancer Registry (1978-1982), the expected number of incident cases in 1989 for Penang (Malays, Chinese and Indians combined) was 1,561. The number notified to the National Cancer Registry was 496. This underlines the tentative nature of this analysis of the returns for 1987-1990 from Penang.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries*
  7. Maniam T
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 1995;8(3):181-5.
    PMID: 10050186
    Suicide statistics are generally recognised to be unreliable. This study of the reported rates of suicide in West Malaysia between 1966-1990 shows that the mean crude suicide rate between 1966-1974 was 6.1 per 100,000, but had dropped drastically between 1975-1990 to a mean of 1.6 per 100,000. Three lines of evidence are presented to show that this reduction in the suicide rate is due to a systematic misclassification of medically certified suicides as deaths due to undetermined violent deaths (which refers to violent deaths not known to be accidentally or deliberately inflicted). Firstly, the large drop in reported suicide rates corresponds closely to an increase in the rate of deaths due to undetermined violent deaths. There is a highly positive negative correlation between the two rates (coefficient of correlation, r = -0.9). Secondly, the misclassification appears to be mainly a problem with the medically certified deaths which follow the ICD classification. The mean ratio of uncertified to certified suicides before 1975 was 0.8, but from 1975 onwards the mean was 3.1. This is in contrast to the corresponding ratio for deaths due to all accidents which has remained fairly constant throughout these years. Thirdly, the race and sex differences for the rates of undetermined violent deaths are identical to those of suicide. Taking the misclassification into account the corrected suicide rate for West Malaysia is estimated to be between 8-13 per 100,000 since 1982.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  8. Ng SC, Sawatt C, Foo LK, Hitam O, Khor PG, Lee YK
    Med J Malaysia, 1996 Mar;51(1):75-9.
    PMID: 10967983
    This is a review of the first 100 coronary stents implanted for the indications of PTCA restenosis, acute or threatened closure and De Novo lesions. The success rates were high and complications rates were low. Subacute stent thrombosis rates were low and stenting for De Novo lesions in > 3.0 mm arteries provide the best short and long term results. Six months restenosis rate was low. Stent assisted high pressure balloon angioplasty is an important advance.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  9. Seow A, Lee J, Sng I, Fong CM, Lee HP
    Cancer, 1996 May 1;77(9):1899-904.
    PMID: 8646691
    BACKGROUND: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has increased in incidence in many countries, particularly in the West. Advances in diagnostic methods and the understanding of the disease over time pose a challenge to the interpretation of these trends. The aim of this study was to determine if the disease has increased in Singapore, a newly industrialized Asian country, and to examine the possible factors that may account for any observed changes.
    METHODS: Data from the population-based Singapore Cancer Registry for the period 1968 to 1992 were reviewed to determine time trends based on sex and ethnic group. The Poisson regression model was fitted to the cross-tabulated data to obtain the adjusted incidence density ratios.
    RESULTS: A total of 1988 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were included in the analysis. There was an overall increase in incidence among both Chinese and Malaysians. However, the rate of increase was greater in females (age-standardized rate from 1.8 per 100,000 in 1968-1972 to 4.5 per 100,000 in 1988-1992) than in males (3.2 per 100,000 to 5.9 per 100,000 in the same time periods). Between ethnic groups, Malay females were at higher overall risk compared with their Chinese counterparts (incidence density ratio 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 1.08-1.61). Although a substantial proportion of patients diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease between 1968 and 1972 were reclassified on review, using present criteria, as having non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, it is unlikely that this, and other recent changes in histologic interpretation, could have accounted for an increase of this magnitude.
    CONCLUSIONS: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has increased in incidence among the Chinese and Malay populations in Singapore. The pattern of increase differs from that of the common cancer sites, and suggests the need to look for environmental and genetic factors that have not yet been elucidated.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  10. Yip CH, Ng EH
    Singapore Med J, 1996 Jun;37(3):264-7.
    PMID: 8942224
    Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in Malaysian and Singaporean women. A study done to compare the epidemiology of the disease, as well as to compare the rate of conservative surgery between Malaysian and Singaporean women was carried out. The results show that the median age at presentation was the same in both countries, and the incidence was lower among the Malays. However, there was a significant difference in the stage at presentation and the tumour size; Singaporean women presented at earlier stages and with smaller tumours compared to Malaysian women. This led to a lower rate of conservation surgery in Malaysian women.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries*
  11. Chan, L.L., Law, C.W., Hunn, P.S., Yew, C.B., Lim, P.P.L., Teo, L.T., et al.
    MyJurnal
    In Malaysia, an estimated 50 children per annum suffering from a variety of haematological and inherited disorders would benefit from bone marrow or stem cell trans-plantation. By mendelian inheritance 25% of these children would be able to find a sibling who is a matched histocompatible donor. For the remaining 75% to have a chance at survival, search from another source would have to be made. This could mean a mismatched non-sibling related donor or a matched unrelated donor. We studied the chance of a Malaysian patient finding a matched sibling donor and a matched unrelated donor. Human Leucocyte Antigen (HLA) data from patients and their siblings were analysed. The HLA data were matched against the largest Asian bone marrow donor registry in Taiwan. 95% of the 138,744 donors in this registry come from Taiwanese Hokkien ancestry.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  12. Lee WW, Ooi BC, Thai AC, Loke KY, Tan YT, Rajan U, et al.
    Singapore Med J, 1998 Aug;39(8):359-62.
    PMID: 9844497
    To determine the incidence of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) in children 0-12 years of age in Singapore, which has a population of 2.9 million.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  13. Duraisamy, G.
    MyJurnal
    Congenital Coagulation Disorders (CCD) are inherited and present from birth. Their diagnosis depends on clinical awareness and correct laboratory investigations. The central registry for CCD or Congenital Bleeding Disorders (CBD) is at the Blood Services Centre, Kuala Lumpur Hospital and was established in 1975. There are 871 CCD registered. The commonest CCD are 631 (72%) Haemophilia A, 102 (12%) Haemophilia B and 93 (10.7%) von Willebrand's Disease. The other deficiencies registered are rare, only 45 in total:— Factor 1 (4), FV (4), FVII (21), FX (4), FXII (6), and FXIII (6). Diagnosis is based on clinical suspicion, screening tests namely the Prothrombin Time (PT) and activated Partial Thromboplastin Time (aPTT) and confirmation of the diagnosis was by doing specific factor assays. Molecular studies were done on FVIII and FXIII. Treatment is by transfusing the deficient factor when there is bleeding and comprehensive care involving the specialities like the neurologist/ neurosurgeon /orthopaedic / physiotherapy/ dental besides the haematologist and paediatrician to manage the complicatioons seen. There are fewer problems now as patients are diagnosed earlier and managed better. There is now a good prognosis and a better quality of life.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  14. Heng DM, Lee J, Chew SK, Tan BY, Hughes K, Chia KS
    Ann Acad Med Singap, 2000 Mar;29(2):231-6.
    PMID: 10895345
    INTRODUCTION: This is the first prospective cohort study in Singapore to describe the incidence of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke among Chinese, Malays and Asian Indians.

    MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Singapore Cardiovascular Cohort Study is a longitudinal follow-up study on a general population cohort of 5920 persons drawn from 3 previous cross-sectional surveys. Morbidity and mortality from IHD and stroke were ascertained by record linkage using a unique identification number with the death registry, Singapore Myocardial Infarct Registry and in-patient discharge databases.

    RESULTS: There were 193 first IHD events and 97 first strokes during 52,806 person-years of observation. The overall incidence of IHD was 3.8/1000 person-years and that of stroke was 1.8/1000 person-years. In both males and females, Indians had the highest IHD incidence, followed by Malays and then Chinese. For males after adjusting for age, Indians were 2.78 times (95% CI 1.86, 4.17; P < 0.0001) and 2.28 times (95% CI 1.34, 3.88; P = 0.002) more likely to get IHD than Chinese and Malays respectively. For females after adjusting for age, Indians were 1.97 times (95% CI 1.07, 3.63; P = 0.03) and 1.37 times (95% CI 0.67, 2.80; P = 0.39) more likely to get IHD than Chinese and Malays respectively. For stroke, male Chinese and Indians had higher incidence than Malays (though not statistically significant). However, in females, Malays had the highest incidence of stroke, being 2.57 times (95% CI 1.31, 5.05; P = 0.008) more likely to get stroke than Chinese after adjustment for age.

    CONCLUSIONS: This prospective study of both mortality and morbidity has confirmed the higher risk of IHD in Indians. It has also found that Malay females have a higher incidence of stroke, which deserves further study because of its potential public health importance.

    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  15. Choon SE, Mathew M, Othman BS
    Med J Malaysia, 2000 Jun;55(2):174-9.
    PMID: 19839145
    The demographic characteristics, risk behaviourand prevalence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were determined in 132 HIV-infected individuals seen in a Dermatology cum Genitourinary Clinic, Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru. Sixty-one (46.2%) were Malays, 37.9% Chinese, 10.6% Indians and 5.3% were of other ethnic groups. The male to female ratio was 4.5:1. Most of the patients (82.5%) were between 20 to 40 years-old. Seventy (53.0%) were single, 34.1% were married and 7.5% were divorcees. The majority of them (97.7%) were heterosexual. Fifty seven (53.3%) of our male patients patronised commercial workers. Eighty-one (61.8%) were not intravenous drug users (IVDU). Of the 50 IVDUs, 24 had multiple sexual exposures. Fifty-three (48.2%) of the 109 patients screened for STDs had one or more other STDs. Thirty-four patients (31.9%) reported one STD in the past and 3.6% reported two STDs in the past. Fifty-six patients (42.4%) had developed AIDS. Thirteen had passed away. The main mode of transmission of HIV infection in this population is through heterosexual intercourse and the prevalence of STDs is high. These findings indicate a need to advocate responsible sexual behaviour and to detect as well as treat STDs early to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.

    Study site: Dermatology cum Genitourinary Clinic, Hospital Sultanah Aminah Johor Bahru
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  16. Ganesananthan S, Kew ST, Ngau YY, Ong J, Matvinder S, Liew SH, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2001;56 Suppl A:47.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  17. Lim GC
    Jpn J Clin Oncol, 2002 Mar;32 Suppl:S37-42.
    PMID: 11959876 DOI: 10.1093/jjco/hye132
    The problem of cancer in Malaysia is a growing one. It is now the fourth leading cause of death among medically certified deaths. Cancer of the lung is the most common killer among malignancies. It is estimated that the annual incidence of cancer is 30 000. The majority of patients are found at a late stage of the disease. The National Cancer Control Program aims to reduce the incidence and mortality of cancer and to improve the quality of life of cancer patients. Policies encompass prevention, early diagnosis, treatment, palliative care and rehabilitation. The program for prevention includes an anti-smoking campaign and immunization of babies against hepatitis B. Papanicolaou's smear and breast self-examination are among efforts for the early detection of cancer. Public education and the promotion of healthy lifestyles have been actively carried out. Facilities for treatment and palliative care are being developed further. Networks between the public and private sectors and non-governmental organizations have been on-going. Apart from the establishment and upgrading of treatment facilities, the need for training of skilled staff in the treatment of cancer is highlighted.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  18. Tan AT, Emmanuel SC, Tan BY, Teo WS, Chua TS, Tan BH
    Ann Acad Med Singap, 2002 Jul;31(4):479-86.
    PMID: 12161884
    INTRODUCTION AND METHODS: Cardiovascular diseases have progressively increased in importance as a major contributor of morbidity and mortality in Asia. However, many countries in Asia do not have nationwide systematically-collected and standardised data on myocardial infarction (MI). To accurately document the extent of atherosclerotic coronary heart disease in Singapore, a nationwide myocardial infarct registry was established in the mid-1986. Possible myocardial infarct events were identified through daily national lists of cardiac enzymes, hospital discharge codes, mortuary records and the national death registry. Data obtained from clinical history, cardiac enzymes and 12-lead electrocardiogram Minnesota codes were entered into an algorithm based on the WHO MONICA study. Cases identified as "definite" MI were included in the decade's review for this study.

    RESULTS: From 1988 to 1997, 13,048 myocardial infarct events were diagnosed with 3367 deaths. There was a 39.1% decline in mortality, with an average decline of 6.5% per year [95% confidence intervals (CI), -3.9% to -9.1%]. However, the decline in incidence was only 20.8% with an average decline of 2.4% per year (95% CI, -6.6% to -1.2%). The highest incidence and mortality rates for both genders were seen in the Indians, followed by the Malays and the Chinese.

    CONCLUSION: Over 10 years, from 1988 to 1997, we documented a significant fall in mortality from MI in Singapore. There was a smaller decline in the incidence of infarction. Singapore implemented a National Healthy Lifestyle Programme in 1992 as a 10-year effort. The disparity in the incidence and mortality may suggest that a more dramatic and immediate impact has taken place in mortality through therapeutic programmes; primary preventive programmes would be more difficult to evaluate and have a more gradual impact. Only with continual accurate data collection through the whole country, over a much longer period, can the relative value of preventive and therapeutic programmes in coronary heart disease be assessed.

    Matched MeSH terms: Registries/statistics & numerical data*
  19. Ong TA, Yip CH
    Asian J Surg, 2003 Jul;26(3):169-75.
    PMID: 12925293
    OBJECTIVE: To study the impact of various clinicopathological factors on short-term survival in a cohort of breast cancer patients treated at the University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC).
    METHODS: All cases of breast cancer treated at UMMC from January 1999 to June 2001, except for stage IV disease, were included in the study. Survival analysis was carried out using Kaplan-Meier for univariate analysis and Cox regression for multivariate analysis. The log-rank test was used to test the significance of differences between the different survival curves.
    RESULTS: A total of 385 patients were included. The mean patient age at presentation was 50.3 years (SD, 11.4); 198 (51.4%) patients had lymph node-positive disease, and 187 (48.6%) had node-negative disease. The mean follow-up period was 18.7 months (SD, 8.8). The Malay ethnic group, tumours of larger size, node-positive disease, more than five positive lymph nodes, oestrogen receptor (ER) negativity and the presence of lymphovascular invasion were significant prognostic factors for shorter recurrence-free survival (RFS) in the univariate analysis. In the multivariate analysis, ER negativity was the only independent adverse prognostic factor for RFS. For overall survival (OS), tumours of larger size, node-positive disease, more than five positive lymph nodes, ER negativity and high grade tumours were associated with significantly shorter OS. However, more than five positive lymph nodes was the only independent prognostic factor for shorter OS in the multivariate analysis. Further multivariate analysis of the patients with node-positive disease showed that the Malay ethnic group, ER negativity and more than five positive lymph nodes were independent prognostic factors for shorter RFS. On the other hand, ER negativity and more than five positive lymph nodes were independent negative prognostic factors for OS in this subgroup of patients.
    CONCLUSION: The evaluation of various prognostic factors would provide useful information on disease progression in local patients, especially for the planning of adjuvant therapies and follow-up protocols. Differences in the pattern of breast cancer among the different ethnic groups in Malaysia warrant further studies.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
  20. Ganesananthan S, Rajvinder S, Anil R, Kiew KK, Ng KL, Rosaida MS, et al.
    Med J Malaysia, 2004;59 Suppl C:48.
    Background: Achalasia cardia is an uncommon disease that is often detected late and is associated with significant morbidity. It is a primary esophageal motility disorder diagnosed based on a good history, barium swallow, upper endoscopy and a standard esophageal manometry.
    Materials and Methods: We reviewed complete available records of treatment naïve patients with achalasia cardia from 1st January 2000 till April 2004.
    Results: A total of 40 patients, with average presenting age at 44±16 (range 19-73) years with 14 males: 26 females with 20 Malays: 15 Chinese: 5 Indians, were suitable for further analysis. The classical symptom of dysphagia to liquids and solids were noted in all cases (100%). These patients learnt that water and sometimes-aerated drinks aid in flushing food down. Symptoms of regurgitation (36 patients-90%), heartburn (15 patients-37.5%), weight loss (10 patients–25%), nocturnal cough (16 patient-40%), retrosternal chest discomfort (2 patient-5%) and hemetemesis (2 patient-5%) was noted. One patient had aspiration pneumonia and another had concomitant active pulmonary tuberculosis and 8 had concomitant constipation (20%). In this series the duration of illness before diagnosis was 5±6 (range
    0.3- 30) years and their presenting weight was 53±13 (range 33-82) kg. Barium swallow diagnosed achalasia in 27 patients (67.5%) and a dysmotility disorder in 7 cases (17.5%). There were 10 patients with mega-esophagus and two had epiphrenic diverticulum. There was no pseudoachalasia. Standard esophageal manometry, performed in 36 cases, demonstrated aperistalsis with one vigorous achalasia. The manometric assembly failed to pass through the sphincter in 14 cases and hence LOS assessment was not possible. Four cases demonstrated normal LOS pressure but demonstrated incomplete relaxation (normotensive achalasia). Pneumatic dilatation was performed in 38 newly cases without any complications with excellent symptomatic relief and a 3-12 month post procedural weight gain of 7±5 (range: 0-19) kg. Six patients required a second dilatation and another required two further dilatation. The durability of the total 45 pneumatic dilatations during this short study period was excellent at 24±12 (range 2-48) months.
    Conclusion: A primary esophageal motility disorder must be excluded in any patients who present with dysphagia, with or without regurgitation and a "normal" upper endoscopy. Achalasia is not uncommon, often delayed in diagnosis and has a varied presentation. Although there is no cure for achalasia, but early detection and treatment certainly relieves symptoms and prevents complications. Pneumatic dilatation in our center has excellent durability without any complications.
    Matched MeSH terms: Registries
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