LCNM Conducts First AI Lung Cancer Screening in Johor
Lung Cancer Network Malaysia (LCNM) conducted the first ever lung cancer screening in the south of peninsula Malaysia in Medini, Johor, on 8 December 2024, with state-of-the art artificial intelligence-enabled mobile chest radiograph imaging.
The screening event held at Gleneagles Hospital Medini Johor (GHJ), was a collaborative effort with several stakeholders including the Ministry of Health’s Sultanah Aminah Hospital Johor Bahru (HSAJB) and supported by AstraZeneca Malaysia & the Twin Towers Medical Center. The event officiated by Johor State Health Director Dr Mohtar Pungut, featured educational awareness talks by LCNM leaders; Professor Dr Anand Sachithanandan, (Cardiothoracic surgeon), Dr Hilmi Lockman (Pulmonologist) and Dr Tho Lye Mun (Clinical Oncologist), with over forty free Ai-CXR screenings carried out.
According to Prof Sachithanandan, screening is truly life-saving as it reduces lung cancer specific mortality through meaningful stage shift with detection of more early stage disease that can be treated more effectively and cheaply, with a combination of various curative therapies including surgery. This multi-modal approach offers patients the best quality of life and prognosis in terms of disease-free survival and overall survival.
According to the latest available local data (Malaysian National Cancer Registry Report 2017-2021), lung cancer is now the second most common male cancer and commonest cause of cancer-death in Malaysian men. In women, it is the third most common cancer and number 2 cancer-killer after breast cancer. Alarmingly, 95% of lung cancer cases here are detected too late in stages III and IV, with Johor having one of the highest caseloads.
The event was also supported by HSAJB Director, Dr Nizam Subahir, deputy director, Dr Sharath Chandran and GHJ medical director Dr Abdul Kadir plus several local medical lung specialists and staff from GHJ and HSAJB.
LCNM supports the Health Ministry’s Lung Health Initiative championed by esteemed Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, to address the rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including tackling the high incidence of late stage lung cancer cases here. Prof Sachithanandan reiterated this event, hopefully the first of several upcoming planned screenings, reaffirms LCNM’s commitment towards an inclusive ‘whole-of-society’ approach underpinned with meaningful public-private collaboration including NGOs, academia and industry. To learn more on LCNM’s advocacy and educational initiatives please visit www.lungcancer.net.my.
