EVERY year, approximately 100, 000 Malaysians are diagnosed with cancer and if each and every one of these patients were to succumb to fear, the mortality rate of cancer would have skyrocketed and there would not be any cancer survivors available to share their stories.

The latest Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report 2007-2011 indicated that the most common cancer in Malaysia among females is breast cancer, amounting to 32.1 percent of total cancer cases, and colorectal cancer for males, covering 16.3 percent of all cancer cases.

Currently, cancer mortality is at 171.2 deaths per 100,000 men and women per year.

Cancer is a disease known to strike fear in everyone’s lives but how much do you know about the disease?

Although certain cancers such as lung and brain cancer are almost certain to be fatal, this idea should not be generalised to all cancers because certain cancers take years to grow or to cause any harm to the body and most cancers can be treated. It would be more appropriate to equate cancer to just a disease and not a death call.

A close relative of mine suffered from colon cancer and had gone through a year of emotional “hell” before being able to live a normal life. His fears of cancer had contributed more to his suffering, than the actual disease.

As someone who visits the less fortunate and the sick, both in the hospital and home, I believe it isn’t cancer that kills somebody but the lack of support and understanding of the disease leading to unreasonable levels of anxiety and depression.

With that being said, I understand that everyone is afraid of getting sick, more so  with being diagnosed with cancer. However, please do not let fear cloud your judgment and emotions.

Doctors are here to answer your questions; support groups are available to help you. Although the internet is a very good source of information, it may also be a dangerous source of information as most of the information posted in the internet is not filtered.

Furthermore, friends, who miraculously gained medical knowledge instantly from the internet may also cause unnecessary anxiety by providing inaccurate information.

Hence forth, approach your doctors or support groups for reliable and accurate information.

Be it fatal or non-fatal tumors, patients are often resistant to the idea of screening for cancer due to fear that they may have that disease. Just as other chronic diseases, early treatment is pivotal in ensuring your survival. They believe that by avoiding the disease, they may be able to enjoy life a little longer.

Although I don’t deny that you may enjoy that few extra weeks before being screened, why not get it diagnosed and treated early and instead of just a couple of weeks longer, you could be enjoying a few additional years of life!

However, with that being said, prevention is always better than cure. A clear example of this would be the relationship between lung cancer and smoking. It is an established fact that smoking increases the risk of lung cancer but smokers often support their smoking habits by saying if everyone is going to die, why should they stop smoking as death is the inevitable result of life.

Allow me to try and explain the error in this way of thinking. As a medical student, I came across patients who would tell me, ‘If only I had stopped’, ‘If only I knew’, ‘If only I could think rationally’ and so on. These statements are not made up to strike fear on smokers but statements given to me by lung cancer patients who have been smoking for most of their lives and I am sharing their experiences with you. It is never too late to stop smoking. Likewise with other preventable causes of other cancers, stop them before it’s too late.

I would like to end this article with a quote from Puteh Shaharizan Shaari, the co-chair of the National Cancer Society of Malaysia’s Relay for Life Melaka:

“You should not lose hope. Fighting cancer and accepting it are part of your journey. Accepting it makes the whole experience better. If you can acknowledge it, you will be better in making choices and decisions.”

*Dr Bryan Loh Kean Por is a follower of The Malaysian Insight. He has a keen interest in issues of public health, and is an active volunteer at several charitable organisations.

* This is the opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insight. Article may be edited for brevity and clarity.