Mammograms and their role in detecting early breast cancer

Free Malaysia Today

In conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Institut Jantung Negara(IJN) senior consultant radiologist Dr Sulaiman Tamanang shares why mammograms are vital for early breast cancer detection, and what women can expect during a screening.   Story by: Sheela Vijayan  Shot by: Afizi Ismail  Presented by: Natasha Busst  Edited by: Adly Shaaban   Read More:  https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2025/10/28/how-mammograms-detect-early-signs-of-breast-cancer   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com  Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5  Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM  Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h  Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp  Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX  Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb  Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj  Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Download FMT News App:  Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46  App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ  Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle

Transcript

00:00According to Health Minister Zulkifli Ahmad, more than 50,000 new cancer cases are detected every year.

00:08Alarmingly, most are only identified when the disease has already reached stage 3 or 4.

00:14This is why regular health screenings play a crucial role.

00:19They can make all the difference in detecting cancer early.

00:22With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month,

00:24it's the perfect time to talk about a powerful screening tool, the mammogram.

00:30As part of its mission to be a center of excellence in diagnostic imaging,

00:35Institute Jantung Negara offers a wide range of services from heart scans to mammograms.

00:44FMT sits down with Dr. Sulaiman Tamanang, Senior Consultant Radiologist at IJN,

00:50to learn how mammograms can help detect breast cancer early and what women can expect during screening.

00:55Memograms are the safest, the simplest and the easiest and is available everywhere to do the examination

01:10to detect if there's any problem with the breast.

01:15Of course, there are other modalities that can examine the breast like MRI or all those things.

01:20But the MRI is more expensive, it's not easily available.

01:26Not all centers has got MRI doing breast examination.

01:30Memogram is the simplest, it's easily available and it's cheap.

01:35Memograms use X-rays that produce images.

01:38Yes, why mammogram is important because early cancers normally present either with micro-calcification,

01:45I mean, tiny knot of calcium or just sometimes just some structural distortion,

01:50very, very small structural distortion.

01:53And this can only be seen with mammogram.

01:58Sometimes we can use ultrasound as well to look for all this growth in the breast.

02:03Yes, but as far as micro-calcification, actually the only modalities that can easily pick up is actually mammography.

02:13Sulaiman advises women to have their first mammogram between the ages of 35 and 40.

02:19From age 40 onwards, yearly screenings are recommended.

02:22He also urges women in their 40s to do a self-examination of their breasts regularly

02:27and not wait a full year for their next mammogram if they notice anything unusual.

02:32After turning 50, mammograms can be done every one to two years.

02:37But what's the reason behind this recommended frequency?

02:40In Malaysia, most of the patient is actually pre-menopausal, 40 to 50 years.

02:46But in the US, the incidence of breast cancer is more post-manipausal.

02:53After 50, after menopausal.

02:55According to Sulaiman, statistics show that 1 in 19 women in Malaysia

03:00will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

03:03Each year, the number of cases rises about 2% to 5%.

03:07The disease is most common among the Chinese, followed by Indians and Malays.

03:13The detection of early breast cancer is actually very important in terms of outcome or prognosis.

03:22So, the rate of survival in early detection of stage 1 breast cancer is actually more than 98%.

03:30For those who are detected in late stage, stage 3, stage 4, I think the survival rate will be less than 50%.

03:38So, again, if we can detect it early, so usually the patient doesn't have to do removal of the whole breast or mastectomy.

03:47They can only do the lumpectomy.

03:49That means they remove the abnormal area and then that's it.

03:53So, they preserve the breast.

03:55So, nowadays they try to do that as far as possible.

03:58Because I think nobody wants to have only one breast, so they feel unstable.

04:04So, I think they try as far as possible nowadays, the breast surgeon will do a lumpectomy rather than mastectomy.

04:11Early detection will save costs, a lot of costs.

04:15Because in the later stage of breast cancer, they have to do a lot of things.

04:20Chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and this chemo and radio actually are not cheap.

04:25They are very expensive.

04:27At IJN, a mammogram screening only takes about 30 minutes and you'll have your results in roughly 2 hours.

04:34Plus, IJN uses 3D mammography or tomosynthesis, which produces more accurate results.

04:40And don't worry, the procedure is pain-free.

04:43You may feel some slight discomfort, but here's a tip.

04:47Schedule your mammogram after your menstrual cycle when your breasts are less tender.

04:52For women who are still hesitant about going for a mammogram, Sulaiman has this advice.

04:57A small tumor or small cancer is not painful, cannot be felt, okay?

05:04Even though you have no family history, it doesn't mean anything.

05:08Because most of the statistics show that majority of women with breast cancer has got no family history.

05:15And don't worry about radiation, okay?

05:19Because your health is more important.

05:21And the radiation part of it is very little and very minimal and it's very safe.

05:26Some people are worried about the outcome.

05:28Say, when I do this, I find something, you know, you don't know what to do, feel sad.

05:33I think it's better to know something early.

05:38Prognosis of the early detection is very good, okay?

05:42And don't wait until you feel alarmed, then only you see a doctor or do other investigation.

05:49Indeed, early detection can make all the difference.

05:52So take charge of your health and book a mammogram with IJN today.

05:56Natasha Bust and Sheila Bijayan, FMT.

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