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GEORGE TOWN, August 15 – Health literacy platform TalkHealthAsia.com held the first Malaysian Breast Cancer Summit (MBCS), gathering over 300 breast cancer patients and survivors across Malaysia at St Giles Wembley Penang on August 10 and 11, 2024.

TalkHealthAsia’s aim in organising MBCS was to equip patients, survivors, and caregivers with medical insight and lifestyle tools to live with quality.

The summit’s dynamic programme of interactive workshops centred around the theme of “Living the Journey”. 

Each session was driven by renowned breast specialists that include Dr Kiley Loh Wei-Jen, Dr Doris Chow Sze Ying, Prof Emeritus Dr Yip Cheng-Har, Dr Mastura Mohd Yusof, Dr Teoh Mei Shi, Dr Nur Fadhlina Abdul Satar, Dr Vaishnavi Jeyasingam, and Dr Yap Beng Khiong.

These specialist doctors were also joined by allied health professionals to bring practical insight to those attending.

Topics covered include recent treatment developments for different breast cancer subtypes, recurrence surveillance, and understanding nutrition.

There were also sessions to navigate mental and sexual wellbeing, subjects often considered taboo by many.

Learning pitstops at educational booths were also held. 

Beyond the sessions and informative booths, the summit included activities such as zumba, as well as a lucky draw and a social media contest with prizes to be won. 

Also present were patient advocacy groups Breast Cancer Welfare Association (BCWA), Pink Penang, Pink Unity, Majlis Kanser Nasional (MAKNA) to share real-life patient and survivor stories from surviving breast cancer to advocating for the community. 

The summit was officiated by Tan Lean Kee, wife of Penang Chief Minister. She addressed the patients and survivors in the crowd, saying, “I am so proud that Penang has the opportunity to host this inaugural summit. You are all true warriors. With the insights you learn this weekend, we must share it with others not here so that together we can make a difference and improve breast health in our country.”

“At TalkHealthAsia, we organise initiatives to make known health nuances previously assumed too complex for patients to understand. I hope Malaysian Breast Cancer Summit 2024 will bring about understanding on breast cancer that is life-changing for those attending, with a positive rippling effect on the lives of families, friends and community,” said Lim Po Lin, chief executive officer of TalkHealthAsia.com and steering chairperson of MBCS.

In her keynote speech, Dr Yip highlighted how important it is for those affected by breast cancer to receive reliable information to cope with their disease.

“Nowadays women with breast cancer go online to get answers for their questions and more often than not, they are given misleading information from dubious websites. The summit provides them with reliable evidence-based up-to-date information about treatment and what they can do to reduce risk of recurrence and live well after breast cancer,” she said.

When cancer strikes, people often put their lives on hold, focusing everything on battling it.

With treatments typically spanning several years, patients often lose important parts of themselves along the journey.

The Malaysian Breast Cancer Summit envisions a future where patients and survivors can reclaim their lives, striving to forge a brighter and better-informed breast health landscape in Malaysia.

Click here for more information on the Malaysian Breast Cancer Summit. 

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