More than 700 people attended Malaysia’s only national breast cancer summit on August 9–10, 2025, at the Connexion Conference & Event Centre in Kuala Lumpur. The Malaysian Breast Cancer Summit 2025 (MBCS25) brought together patients, survivors, healthcare professionals, advocates, industry leaders and medical organisations.
Its theme, Stronger, Together, underscored the importance of combining medical expertise with lived experience to improve breast cancer care nationwide.
Organised by TalkHealthAsia.com, Malaysia’s leading platform for patient advocacy and health empowerment, the summit featured four dedicated programmes:
- Patient-Survivor Programme: Provided practical support for women from diagnosis through recovery.
- Healthcare Professional Development Programme: Focused on upskilling doctors across the country.
- Wellness Programme: Addressed mental, physical, and emotional well-being.
- Patient Navigation Programme: Developed in partnership with Roche, this programme trained patient navigators in providing psychosocial support.
Expert Voices and the Power of Community
Over 20 respected specialists shared their expertise, including Professor Emeritus Dato’ Dr Yip Cheng-Har, Dr Mastura Md Yusof, Dr Ng Char Hong, and Dr Premitha Damodaran.
The summit’s founders highlighted that everyone involved in breast cancer care—whether a nurse, researcher, policymaker, industry leader, doctor, patient, or caregiver—has a vital role to play in improving outcomes.
In her keynote address, Emeritus Professor Dato’ Dr Tunku Sara Tunku Ahmad Yahaya, an orthopaedic surgeon and breast cancer survivor, spoke about the importance of community and support.
She reflected on how the friends she made during her treatment, both in the United States and Malaysia, were crucial to her recovery. “Friends are very important,” she said, reinforcing the summit’s theme of being “Stronger, Together.”
A Support For Women Everywhere
Recognising the need to prepare young doctors, TalkHealthAsia partnered with Pfizer to fund summit access for more than 100 medical trainees from across Malaysia, from Kedah to Sabah.
The CPD-accredited programme was endorsed by the Malaysian Medical Association Wilayah Persekutuan, the College of Surgeons Academy of Medicine Malaysia, and the Malaysian Oncological Society.
The summit also fostered a strong sense of solidarity among women, bringing together support groups from across Malaysia, such as Breast Cancer Welfare Association Malaysia and Pink Unity, representing diverse languages and experiences.
Dr Kiley Loh Wei-Jen, a Breast Medical Oncologist, highlighted that social circumstances often limit women from accessing optimal care, making empowerment through knowledge and peer support crucial.
New Data from the Pink Study
A key highlight was the unveiling of TalkHealthAsia’s Pink Study, a national survey of over 370 women with breast cancer. Findings revealed gaps in communication, access to newer treatments, and post-treatment support. Experts called for urgent updates to Malaysia’s Clinical Practice Guidelines, last revised in 2019, to reflect the latest medical advances.
While most respondents had private insurance, many faced denied claims, uncovered costs, or treatment delays. Over 70% expressed a need for psychosocial and emotional support, highlighting the wider impact of cancer beyond medical treatment.
Ultimately, MBCS25 demonstrated that when patients, clinicians, advocates and policymakers unite, meaningful change in breast cancer care is achievable. The summit set a powerful precedent for inclusive cooperation and ongoing improvement in the fight against breast cancer in Malaysia.
Source: BUSINESSTODAY. “National Summit Strengthens Breast Cancer Care and Ignites Call for Improvement” August 14, 2025. Read more.
