MyMedR

Fulltext Self management pilot study on women with breast cancer: lessons learnt in Malaysia

Loh SY, Yip CH, Packer T, Quek KF

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2010;11(5):1293-9.

PMID: 21198280

OBJECTIVE: With increasing survival rates, breast cancer is now considered a chronic condition necessitating innovative care to meet the long-term needs of survivors. This paper presents the findings of a pilot study on self-management for women diagnosed with breast cancer and their implications for Asian health care providers.

METHODS: A pre-test/ post-test pilot study was conducted to gain preliminary insights into program feasibility and barriers to participation, and to provide justification for a larger trial.

RESULTS: The study found the 4 week self-management program feasible and acceptable, with a favourable trend in quality of life. The recruitment barriers ranged from competing medical appointments, uncollaborative health providers, linguistic barriers and social-household concerns. Supporting facilitators identified were family, health professionals and fellow participants ("buddies"). Lessons from the study are discussed with regard to Asian health providers.

CONCLUSION: There is preliminary evidence that self management is a workable and potentially useful model even in an Asians entrenched-hierarchical medical model of care. The initial challenge was breaking down barriers in acceptancee of a collaborative stance. A clinical trial is now warranted to gather more evidence.

Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/therapy*

Breast cancer in a multi-ethnic Asian setting: results from the Singapore-Malaysia hospital-based breast cancer registry

Bhoo-Pathy N, Yip CH, Taib NA, Hartman M, Saxena N, Iau P, et al.

Breast, 2011 Apr;20 Suppl 2:S75-80.

PMID: 21316967 DOI: 10.1016/j.breast.2011.01.015

Two hospital-based breast cancer databases (University Malaya Medical Center, Malaysia [n = 1513] and National University Hospital, Singapore [n = 2545]) were merged into a regional registry of breast cancer patients diagnosed between 1990 and 2007. A review of the data found 51% of patients diagnosed before the age of 50 years. and 72% percent of the women were Chinese followed by Malays (16%), Indians (8%), and other races (4%). Median tumor size at presentation was 26 mm and about 25% of patients presented with TNM stage III or IV disease. Most tumors were of ductal histology (87%). Fifty-seven percent of tumors were estrogen receptor positive and 40% were poorly differentiated. Of those patients who had surgery, 70% had mastectomy while 30% had breast conserving surgery. Overall, chemotherapy was administered to 56% of patients and hormonal treatment to 60%. Five-year overall survival was 82.5% in patients with TNM stage 0 to stage II cancer, and 30.2% in those with later stages.

Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/therapy

Fulltext Solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura presenting with refractory non-insulin mediated hypoglycaemia (the Doege-Potter syndrome)

Lee CE, Zanariah H, Masni M, Pau KK

Med J Malaysia, 2010 Mar;65(1):72-4.

PMID: 21265256 MyJurnal

We report a case of a 61 year-old man who presented with refractory non-insulin mediated hypoglycaemia. A chest radiograph showed a right lung opacity, which was confirmed as a large intra-thoracic mass by computed tomography (CT) of the thorax. CT-guided biopsy with histological examination revealed features of a solitary fibrous tumour of low malignant potential. We discuss the association of solitary fibrous tumour of the pleura (SFTP) with hypoglycaemia, and the management of such rare tumours.

Matched MeSH terms: Pleural Neoplasms/therapy

Piloting a psycho-education program for parents of pediatric cancer patients in Malaysia

Othman A, Blunden S, Mohamad N, Mohd Hussin ZA, Jamil Osman Z

Psychooncology, 2010 Mar;19(3):326-31.

PMID: 19462470 DOI: 10.1002/pon.1584

To evaluate a psycho-educational program (PeP) for parents of children with cancer (PoCwC) in Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Neoplasms/therapy

Fulltext Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of endophytic fungi isolated from plants at the National Park, Pahang, Malaysia

Hazalin NA, Ramasamy K, Lim SM, Wahab IA, Cole AL, Abdul Majeed AB

BMC Complement Altern Med, 2009;9:46.

PMID: 19930582 DOI: 10.1186/1472-6882-9-46

Endophytes, microorganisms which reside in plant tissues, have potential in producing novel metabolites for exploitation in medicine. Cytotoxic and antibacterial activities of a total of 300 endophytic fungi were investigated.

Matched MeSH terms: Neoplasms/therapy*

Fulltext Treatment delay in rectal cancer

Law CW, Roslani AC, Ng LL

Med J Malaysia, 2009 Jun;64(2):163-5.

PMID: 20058579 MyJurnal

Early diagnosis of rectal cancer is important for prompt treatment and better outcome. Little data exists for comparison or to set standards. The primary objective of this study is to identify factors resulting in delays in treatment of rectal cancer, the correlation between the disease stage and diagnosis waiting time, treatment waiting time and duration of symptoms. A five year retrospective audit was undertaken in University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC). There were 137 patients recruited and the median time to diagnosis was nine days after the first UMMC Surgical Unit consultation with a mean of 18.7 days. Some 11% had to wait more than four weeks for diagnosis. The median time from confirmation of diagnosis to surgery was 11 days with a mean of 18.6 days. Sixty-two percent of patients were operated upon within two weeks of diagnosis and more than 88% by four weeks. However, 10% of them had delayed surgery done four weeks after diagnosis. Long colonoscopy waiting time was the main cause for delay in diagnosis while delay in staging CTs were the main reason for treatment delays.

Matched MeSH terms: Rectal Neoplasms/therapy*

Fulltext National Cancer Patient Registry--a patient registry/clinical database to evaluate the health outcomes of patients undergoing treatment for cancers in Malaysia

Lim GC, Azura D

Med J Malaysia, 2008 Sep;63 Suppl C:55-6.

PMID: 19230247

Cancer burden in Malaysia is increasing. Although there have been improvements in cancer treatment, these new therapies may potentially cause an exponential increase in the cost of cancer treatment. Therefore, justification for the use of these treatments is mandated. Availability of local data will enable us to evaluate and compare the outcome of our patients. This will help to support our clinical decision making and local policy, improve access to treatment and improve the provision and delivery of oncology services in Malaysia. The National Cancer Patient Registry was proposed as a database for cancer patients who seek treatment in Malaysia. It will be a valuable tool to provide timely and robust data on the actual setting in oncology practice, safety and cost effectiveness of treatment and most importantly the outcome of these patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Neoplasms/therapy

Fulltext An extensive sinonasal osteosarcoma mimicking chondrosarcoma

Shahid H, Baharudin A, Halim AS, Biswal BM, Jihan WS

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Jun;62(2):171-2.

PMID: 18705458 MyJurnal

Osteosarcoma is a rare tumour in the sinonasal region. Early diagnosis is essential for adequate management and better prognosis and this requires a meticulous histopathological examination. Reported is a case of osteosarcoma misdiagnosed as chondrosarcoma and treated by surgery followed by radiotherapy. However, appropriate diagnosis and pre-operative chemotherapy would have been significant in the prognosis. The pitfall of accurate diagnosis and the subsequent treatment is discussed in order to find the ways to maximize five years survival which is not more than 25% in this type of lesions.

Matched MeSH terms: Paranasal Sinus Neoplasms/therapy

Fulltext Cerebellopontine angle medulloblastoma

Nyanaveelan M, Azmi A, Saffari M, Banu SK, Suryati MY, Jeyaledchumy M

Med J Malaysia, 2007 Jun;62(2):173-4.

PMID: 18705459 MyJurnal

An extremely rare case of a right cerebellopontine angle medulloblastoma in a five year old Malay girl which had eroded into the petrous bone and extended into the temporal fossa is reported. Combined subtemporal and retromastoid approach to achieve gross total surgical resection was achieved followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Matched MeSH terms: Cerebellar Neoplasms/therapy*

Fulltext Nasopharyngeal carcinoma: recognizing it early in children with otitis media with effusion

Noorizan Y, Chew YK, Khir A, Brito-Mutunayagam S

Med J Malaysia, 2008 Aug;63(3):261-2.

PMID: 19248706 MyJurnal

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a rare disease in children. Children with NPC almost always have the undifferentiated variant of the disease, which is associated with advanced locoregional and distant metastasis. We report two cases to illustrate that high index of suspicion is necessary to diagnose NPC in children especially those with atypical presentation of otitis media with effusion (OME).

Matched MeSH terms: Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/therapy

Prevalence and parental perceptions of complementary and alternative medicine use by children with cancer in a multi-ethnic Southeast Asian population

Hamidah A, Rustam ZA, Tamil AM, Zarina LA, Zulkifli ZS, Jamal R

Pediatr Blood Cancer, 2009 Jan;52(1):70-4.

PMID: 18937312 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.21798

The purpose of the current study was to determine the prevalence of use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by children with cancer and to compare the characteristics of CAM users and CAM nonusers.

Matched MeSH terms: Neoplasms/therapy*

Fulltext Colorectal cancer patients in a tertiary referral centre in Malaysia: a five year follow-up review

Rashid MR, Aziz AF, Ahmad S, Shah SA, Sagap I

Asian Pac J Cancer Prev, 2009;10(6):1163-6.

PMID: 20192604

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the major malignancies in the world. In Malaysia, CRC is fast becoming the commonest cause of cancer death. Its etiology is complex, involving both environmental and genetic factors. This study looked at the profile and outcome of five-year follow-up of patients with CRC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Retrospective case review study done on CRC patients at University Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Patientsandapos; socio-demographic characteristics, modalities of treatment, cancer characteristics and outcome at 5-year follow up were extracted from the case records.

RESULTS: A total of 107 case records of patients were analyzed. Peak age of CRC presentation was 40-69 years (71.1%). Male to female ratio was 1.2:1 with Chinese predominance (52.3%). Anaemia and its related symptoms including per rectal bleeding was the commonest clinical presentation. The median duration of clinical presentation was 13 weeks (IQR 21.8). More than two-thirds presented as non-emergency cases (69.2%). Most patients presented with Dukes C stage (40.2%). The overall 5-year survival rate was 40% with local recurrence rate of 19.6%. Metastasis after curative-intend treatment (surgery with adjuvant therapy) developed in 26% of patients. Lower recurrence (p = 0.016, OR = 0.205) and metastatic disease (p = 0.02, OR = 0.24) found among the Chinese patients. Almost half of the patients defaulted follow up care (43%), most often within the first year of treatment (22.4%) and the Chinese were the least likely to default (p= 0.04, OR = 0.45).

CONCLUSION: Socio-demographic profile of CRC patients in UKMMC is comparable to Asia pacific region. Apparent delay in seeking treatment gives rise to poor overall survival and local recurrence rates.

Matched MeSH terms: Colorectal Neoplasms/therapy

Outcome of patients with head and neck cancers: 10-year experience of a otorhinolaryngology--head and neck unit in a tertiary hospital of a developing country

Shashinder S, Choo PK, Gopala KG

Eur J Cancer Care (Engl), 2008 Jan;17(1):93-7.

PMID: 18181897 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2354.2007.00814.x

Being a rapidly developing country, a study was needed to see how we faired in treating head and neck cancer patients compared with international standards. Although being a retrospective study, this research shows that there is still a lot to be done in our developing nation in educating the general public about head and neck cancers as most of them presented in the later stages to us. There also needs to be a proper review about the treatment modality offered to patient as our survival results are far behind in certain categories of cancers compared with the developed nations.

Matched MeSH terms: Head and Neck Neoplasms/therapy

The Breast Health Global Initiative: clinical practice guidelines for management of breast cancer in low- and middle-income countries

Yip CH, Anderson BO

Expert Rev Anticancer Ther, 2007 Aug;7(8):1095-104.

PMID: 18028018

Breast cancer is an increasingly urgent problem in low- and mid-level resource countries of the world. Despite knowing the optimal management strategy based on guidelines developed in wealthy countries, clinicians are forced to provide less-than-optimal care to patients when diagnostic and/or treatment resources are lacking. For this reason, it is important to identify which resources commonly applied in resource-abundant countries most effectively fill the healthcare needs in limited-resource regions, where patients commonly present with more advanced disease at diagnosis, and to provide guidance on how new resource allocations should be made in order to maximize improvement in outcome. Established in 2002, the Breast Health Global Initiative (BHGI) created an international health alliance to develop evidence-based guidelines for countries with limited resources (low- and middle-income countries) to improve breast health outcomes. The BHGI serves as a program for international guideline development and as a hub for linkage among clinicians, governmental health agencies and advocacy groups to translate guidelines into policy and practice. The BHGI collaborated with 12 national and international health organizations, cancer societies and nongovernmental organizations to host two BHGI international summits. The evidence-based BHGI Guidelines, developed at the 2002 Global Summit, were published in 2003 as a theoretical treatise on international breast healthcare. These guidelines were then updated and expanded at the 2005 Global Summit into a fully comprehensive and flexible framework to permit incremental improvements in healthcare delivery, based upon outcomes, cost, cost-effectiveness and use of healthcare services.

Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/therapy*

Pathogenesis and treatment of gastric carcinoma: "an up-date with brief review"

Khan FA, Shukla AN

J Cancer Res Ther, 2007 11 14;2(4):196-9.

PMID: 17998703

Gastric cancer is one of the most common cancers and most frequent causes of cancer-related deaths in the world. The overall survival rate is 15-20%. Although the incidence is declining, its prognosis remains poor. The etiological factors and pathogenesis of gastric cancer are not yet fully understood. The integrated research in molecular pathology clarified the details of genetic and epigenetic abnormalities of cancer-related genes in the course of development and progression of gastric cancer. Although epidemiological evidences indicate that environmental factors play a major role in the carcinogenesis, the role of immunological, genetic and immunogenetic factors are thought to contribute to etiopathogenesis of gastric carcinoma. In addition to better understanding of pathogenesis of gastric cancer, the incidence, diagnostic studies and the therapeutic options have also undergone important changes in the last decade. There is ongoing debate regarding the role of adjuvant treatment. In advanced disease, palliation of symptoms, rather than cure, is the primary goal of patient management. Several combination therapies have been developed and have been examined in phase III trials; however, in most cases, they have failed to demonstrate a survival advantage over the reference arm. This review summarizes the newer concepts of molecular biology on gastric carcinogenesis and the new important recommendations for the management of patient with gastric carcinoma.

Matched MeSH terms: Stomach Neoplasms/therapy*

Goserelin versus leuprolide before hysterectomy for uterine fibroids

Lim SS, Sockalingam JK, Tan PC

Int J Gynaecol Obstet, 2008 May;101(2):178-83.

PMID: 18164303 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijgo.2007.10.020

To compare goserelin and leuprolide given before hysterectomy for symptomatic large fibroid uteri.

Matched MeSH terms: Uterine Neoplasms/therapy*

Delays in time to primary treatment after a diagnosis of breast cancer: does it impact survival?

Mujar M, Dahlui M, Yip CH, Taib NA

Prev Med, 2013 Mar;56(3-4):222-4.

PMID: 23234860 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2012.12.001

OBJECTIVE: Treatment delays in breast cancer are generally thought to affect prognosis but the impact on survival remains unclear. Indicators for breast cancer care include time to primary treatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether time to primary treatment (TPT) in breast cancer impacts survival.
METHOD: A total of 648 breast cancer patients treated in the University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC), Malaysia between 2004 and 2005 were included in the study. TPT was calculated from the date of pathological diagnosis to the date of primary treatment. Mortality data was obtained from the National Registry of Births and Deaths. Last date of follow-up was November 2010.
RESULTS: Median TPT was 18 days. Majority 508 (69.1%) of the patients received treatment within 30 days after diagnosis. The majority was surgically treated. Ethnicity (p=0.002) and stage at presentation (p=0.007) were significantly associated with delayed TPT. Malay ethnicity had delayed TPT compared to the Chinese; Hazard Ratio (HR) 1.9 (Confidence Interval (CI) 1.237, 2.987). Delayed TPT did not affect overall survival on univariate and multivariate analyses.
CONCLUSION: Time to primary treatment after a diagnosis of breast cancer had no impact on overall survival. Further studies on care before diagnosis are important in drawing up meaningful quality indicators.

Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/therapy*

Impact of applied progressive deep muscle relaxation training on the health related quality of life among prostate cancer patients--a quasi experimental trial

Isa MR, Moy FM, Razack AH, Zainuddin ZM, Zainal NZ

Prev Med, 2013;57 Suppl:S37-40.

PMID: 23454597 DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2013.02.011

To determine the impact of applied progressive muscle relaxation training on health related quality of life among prostate cancer patients.

Matched MeSH terms: Prostatic Neoplasms/therapy

Fulltext Quality of Life in CAM and Non-CAM Users among Breast Cancer Patients during Chemotherapy in Malaysia

Chui PL, Abdullah KL, Wong LP, Taib NA

PLoS One, 2015;10(10):e0139952.

PMID: 26451732 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0139952

BACKGROUND: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use has become increasingly popular among patients with cancer. The purposes of this study were to compare the QOL in CAM users and non-CAM users and to determine whether CAM use influences QOL among breast cancer patients during chemotherapy.

METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at two outpatient chemotherapy centers. A total of 546 patients completed the questionnaires on CAM use. QOL was evaluated based on the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core quality of life (QLQ-C30) and breast cancer-specific quality of life (QLQ-BR23) questionnaires.

RESULTS: A total of 70.7% of patients were identified as CAM users. There was no significant difference in global health status scores and in all five subscales of the QLQ C30 functional scales between CAM users and non-CAM users. On the QLQ-C30 symptom scales, CAM users (44.96±3.89) had significantly (p = 0.01) higher mean scores for financial difficulties than non-CAM users (36.29±4.81). On the QLQ-BR23 functional scales, CAM users reported significantly higher mean scores for sexual enjoyment (6.01±12.84 vs. 4.64±12.76, p = 0.04) than non-CAM users. On the QLQ-BR23 symptom scales, CAM users reported higher systemic therapy side effects (41.34±2.01 vs. 37.22±2.48, p = 0.04) and breast symptoms (15.76±2.13 vs. 11.08±2.62, p = 0.02) than non-CAM users. Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that the use of CAM modality was not significantly associated with higher global health status scores (p = 0.71).

CONCLUSION: While the findings indicated that there was no significant difference between users and non-users of CAM in terms of QOL, CAM may be used by health professionals as a surrogate to monitor patients with higher systemic therapy side effects and breast symptoms. Furthermore, given that CAM users reported higher financial burdens (which may have contributed to increased distress), patients should be encouraged to discuss the potential benefits and/or disadvantages of using CAM with their healthcare providers.

Matched MeSH terms: Breast Neoplasms/therapy*

Why Cancer Patients Seek Islamic Healing

Suhami N, Muhamad MB, Krauss SE

J Relig Health, 2016 Oct;55(5):1507-18.

PMID: 26391242 DOI: 10.1007/s10943-015-0114-6

Islamic healing is frequently referred to as the treatment of choice by many Muslim cancer patients in Malaysia. Despite its widespread use, there is limited information relating to patients' healing preferences. With rising cancer rates in the country, this issue has become a concern to public health policy makers. The purpose of this study was to understand why cancer patients seek Islamic healing. This qualitative study utilized in-depth interviews with 18 cancer patients. The findings indicate three main reasons: (1) recommendations from family, friends and doctors; (2) belief in Islamic healing and (3) the perceived ineffectiveness and dissatisfaction with conventional treatments. Islamic healing will likely continue to be popular complementary cancer treatment in Malaysia as it is grounded in strong cultural and religious beliefs.

Matched MeSH terms: Neoplasms/therapy*

Displaying publications 101 - 120 of 362 in total