1
17
August 2004
We
refer to the article “Study on Food Link to Cancer” published in the 6th August
2004
issue of The Star.
The
Malaysian Oncological Society (MOS) is made up of
specialist doctors, both in the government and private sectors, who treat cancer.
We note with grave concern the numerous erroneous and misleading statements in
the article. MAKNA is a non-profit organization that raises funds to help
provide cancer-related services to the community. On the other hand, the MOS is
set up to promote the practice of evidence-based cancer management and to help
the public overcome their misconceptions about cancer.
We
wish to clarify matters and set the record straight:
1. Tumour markers are not recommended to be used routinely for
screening cancer, with the exception of PSA. The measurement of other markers
such as CA19-9, CA15-3, and CEA may lead to false positive and false negative
results. If the result is a false positive, the patient does not have cancer.
This leads to unnecessary and expensive investigations, not to speak of the
psychological burden of possibly having
cancer. If the result is a false negative, the patient
does have cancer. In this setting, the patient may be falsely reassured. A
blood test by itself should never be taken as the definitive screening
procedure.
The
National and International guidelines on tumour
markers are very clear on this issue.
2. “The
studies will also find out why the Chinese are more prone to stomach
cancer and the Malays are more
prone to lung and breast cancer.”
The
cancer statistics quoted in the article regarding the incidence of cancer in
3. “Effective
Screening: …and others looking at the Digital Infrared Thermal
Imaging
method of screening for breast cancer in
The
use of Digital Infrared Thermal Imaging is NOT recommended as a screening tool
for breast cancer. The worldwide standard today is still mammography. MAKNA
should not make its own recommendations. We in the MOS and members of the
4. “Common
ingredients in ikan bilis
(anchovies), belacan (prawn paste), dried prawns and
salted fish are being studied for possible link to cancer.”
“…took
place a year ago, sampled over 100 patients suffering from cancers of the
digestive system, from the mouth to the rectum.”
“Another
interesting finding is that the patients who have these dietary habits mostly
live in coastal areas in the east and west coast,” 2
“…making
little changes to their diet as it is a well-known fact that eating too much of
certain types of food is one of the causes of cancer”
The
above study is based on 100 cancer patients only. Studies involving dietary
intake and cancer usually involve thousands of patients. Even with
well-designed studies recruiting over 10,000 patients, it may still be
difficult to prove directly or indirectly that a certain food causes cancer.
Eating ikan bilis and belacan is a common dietary habit in
We in
the MOS strongly contend that such misleading articles could potentially do
more harm than good. Confusion will be created in the community. It is
important not to mislead the public with medically unfounded and sweeping
statements. Cancer patients and their relatives have a lot to cope with,
physically and emotionally. They do not need to be unnecessarily stressed by
unsubstantiated statements.
The
Executive Committee
Malaysian
Oncological Society