KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 1 — Although nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is a relatively rare cancer globally, Malaysia remains one of the countries with the highest burdens of the head and neck cancer, experts say.
Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Wahid, medical director and consultant clinical oncologist at Beacon Hospital in Selangor, noted that in 2020, Malaysia ranked fourth worldwide for incidence of NPC, also known as nose cancer.
“More than 80 per cent of global NPC cases occur in Asia, with Malaysia recognised as an endemic region alongside southern China and Southeast Asia,” Dr Ibrahim told CodeBlue.
According to the National Cancer Institute (IKN), although the number of NPC cases in Malaysia increased from 4,597 in 2012-2016 to 5,186 in 2017-2021, incidence declined from 4.0 per 100,000 population to 3.1 per 100,000 population in the respective periods, based on the Malaysia National Cancer Registry Report (MNCRR).
