Antibody Response Following COVID-19 Vaccination in Malaysian Cancer Patients and Healthy Individuals.

Introduction: There is a lack of real-world evidence on direct comparisons between COVID-19 vaccines in multiethnic low- and middle-income settings. Cancer patients have an impaired vaccine response due to the disease itself or the effects of treatment. Hence, identifying the best vaccine to use for cancer patients is important.

Beliefs on Causes of Cancer in the General Population, and the Association With Risk Perception and Lifestyle in a Multiethnic Setting.

Purpose: Beliefs on causes of cancer, although sometimes aligned with known risk factors, may be influenced by personal experiences, cultural narratives, and misinformation. We investigated the prevalence of beliefs on causes of cancer and their association with cancer risk perception and lifestyle in a multiethnic Asian population.

Methods: In total, 2,008 Malaysian adults with no previous cancer were surveyed using a 42-item questionnaire adapted from the Awareness Measure and the Cancer Awareness Measure-Mythical Causes Scale.

Association between pre-existing cardiometabolic comorbidities and the pathological profiles of breast cancer at initial diagnosis: a cross sectional study.

The presence of comorbidities has been associated with later stages of breast cancer diagnosis. It is unclear whether biological mechanisms are partly responsible. We examined the association between the presence of pre-existing comorbidities and tumour profile at initial diagnosis with breast cancer.

Development and Validation of a Dual-Language (English and Malay) Needs Assessment Tool for Breast Cancer (NeAT-BC).

Background: Needs assessment tools may be used to guide the optimisation of cancer survivorship services. We sought to develop and validate a dual-language needs assessment tool for women with breast cancer. Methods: The study comprised two phases; (I) co-design, and (II) psychometric testing.

Cancer-related costs, the resulting financial impact and coping strategies among cancer survivors living in a setting with a pluralistic health system: a qualitative study.

Background: Evidence on the financial experiences of cancer survivors living in settings with pluralistic health systems remains limited. We explored the out-of-pocket costs, the resulting financial impact and the coping strategies adopted by cancer survivors in Malaysia, a middle-income country with a government-led tax-funded public health sector, and a predominantly for-profit private health sector.

Methods: Data were derived from 20 focus group discussions that were conducted in five public and private Malaysian hospitals, which included 102 adults with breast, cervical, colorectal or prostate cancers.

Out-of-pocket payments for complementary medicine following cancer and the effect on financial outcomes in middle-income countries in southeast Asia: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Complementary medicine, which refers to therapies that are not part of conventional medicine, comprising both evidence-based and non-evidence-based interventions, is increasingly used following a diagnosis of cancer. We aimed to investigate out-of-pocket spending patterns on complementary medicine and its association with adverse financial outcomes following cancer in middle-income countries in southeast Asia.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, data on newly diagnosed patients with cancer were derived from the ASEAN Costs in Oncology (ACTION) cohort study, a prospective longitudinal study in 47 centres located in eight countries in southeast Asia.

Baseline cardiovascular comorbidities, and the influence on cancer treatment decision-making in women with breast cancer.

Purpose: To measure the baseline prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD), its modifiable and non-modifiable risk factors in breast cancer patients, and determine their association with adjuvant treatment decision-making.

Method: From 2016 to 2017, 2,127 women newly-diagnosed with breast cancer were prospectively recruited. Participants' cardiovascular biomarkers were measured prior to adjuvant treatment decision-making.

Out-of-Pocket Costs of Complementary Medicine Following Cancer and the Financial Impact in a Setting With Universal Health Coverage: Findings From a Prospective Cohort Study.

Purpose: To determine household spending patterns on complementary medicine following cancer and the financial impact in a setting with universal health coverage.

Methods: Country-specific data from a multinational prospective cohort study, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Costs in Oncology Study, comprising 1,249 cancer survivors were included. Household costs of complementary medicine (healthcare practices or products that are not considered as part of conventional medicine) throughout the first year after cancer diagnosis were measured using cost diaries.

Cancer and COVID-19: economic impact on households in Southeast Asia.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may worsen the existing financial vulnerabilities of cancer survivors who may be experiencing a double financial hit, both from cancer-induced financial toxicity as well as economic strains arising from loss of income and prolonged unemployment following the pandemic. The impact of the pandemic is likely to be more pronounced on cancer survivors living in resource-limited settings, such as in Southeast Asia. As health care systems in the region try to streamline resources and accommodate the influx of patients from COVID-19, many in the cancer community have experienced severe disruptions in their care.

Working after cancer: in-depth perspectives from a setting with limited employment protection policies.

Purpose: A considerable proportion of individuals who are diagnosed with cancer are at a working age. We aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the challenges, and arising needs related to working after cancer in a setting with limited employment protection policies.

Methods: Focus group discussions were conducted with cancer patients who were diagnosed at least 1 year prior to recruitment, and either had paid work, were self-employed, currently unemployed, or currently retired (N = 66).

Breaking News of Cancer Diagnosis: A Qualitative Study on the Experiences and Emotional Needs of Patients With Cancer in a Multiethnic Asian Setting.

Purpose: The breaking of news of a cancer diagnosis is an important milestone in a patient's cancer journey. We explored the emotional experiences of patients with cancer during the breaking of news of a cancer diagnosis and the arising needs in a multiethnic Asian setting with limited supportive cancer care services.

Methods: Twenty focus group discussions were conducted with 102 Asian patients with cancer from diverse sociodemographic backgrounds.

The association between methods of biopsy and survival following breast cancer: A hospital registry based cohort study.

Percutaneous biopsy in breast cancer has been associated with an increased risk of malignant cell seeding. However, the importance of these observations remains obscure due to lack of corroborating evidence from clinical studies. We determined whether method of biopsy is associated with breast cancer survival.

Understanding the Financial Needs Following Diagnosis of Breast Cancer in a Setting with Universal Health Coverage.

Background: A diagnosis of cancer negatively impacts the financial wellbeing of affected individuals as well as their households. We aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the financial needs following diagnosis of breast cancer in a middle-income setting with universal health coverage.

Materials And Methods: Twelve focus group discussions (n = 64) were conducted with women with breast cancer from two public and three private hospitals.

Health-related quality of life and psychological distress among cancer survivors in a middle-income country.

Objectives: Quality of life and psychological well-being are important patient-centered outcomes, which are useful in evaluation of cancer care delivery. However, evidence from low-income and middle-income countries remains scarce. We assessed health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and prevalence of psychological distress (anxiety or depression), as well as their predictors, among cancer survivors in a middle-income setting.

Advanced Stage at Presentation Remains a Major Factor Contributing to Breast Cancer Survival Disparity between Public and Private Hospitals in a Middle-Income Country.

Survival disparities in cancer are known to occur between public and private hospitals. We compared breast cancer presentation, treatment and survival between a public academic hospital and a private hospital in a middle-income country. The demographics, clinical characteristics, treatment and overall survival (OS) of 2767 patients with invasive breast carcinoma diagnosed between 2001 and 2011 in the public hospital were compared with 1199 patients from the private hospital.