USM KUBANG KERIAN, KELANTAN, 15 October 2020 – Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is the first public hospital in the country to offer a 3D Ultrasound or Volumetric Breast Ultrasound (VBS) machine for breast cancer diagnosis.

Hospital USM director, Professor Dato’ Dr. Ahmad Sukari Halim said VBS is the state- of-the-art technology in carrying out diagnosis for breast cancer, a disease which is showing an increase in cases over the years.

“VBS is a solution to the problem of dense breast gland among Asian women and research shows that mammography with VBS is more effective in detecting cancer than mammography with 2D Ultrasound,” he said during the launching ceremony of the Hospital USM Breast Imaging Facility here on 3 October 2020.

Also present at the ceremony were the Director of Hospital Raja Perempuan Zainab II, Dato’ Dr. Selasawati Ghazali; Director of the Division of Human Reproduction, National Population and Family Development Board (LPPKN), Dr. Mohd Azizuddin Mohd Yussof; Head of Hospital USM Radiology Department, Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Shafie Abdullah and Coordinator of WISH, Associate Professor Dr. Juhara Haron.

Ahmad Sukari added that besides the VBS machine, the Women’s Imaging Suite (WISH) at the hospital’s Radiology Department also offers various latest breast imaging facilities for breast cancer diagnosis.

He said the equipment included mammography machine with 3D technology or wide angle tomosynthesis — an X-ray technique used for screening of early signs of breast cancer with no symptoms that is found to be more accurate in detecting cancer — as well as a specific 2D Ultrasound machine for breast cancer inspection, equipped with elastography function and image fusion technology.

With the availability of the modern devices, he said, more women should come forward for early screenings of breast cancer to reduce the mortality rate due to the disease.

“Early detections of breast cancer have provided a better chance of treatment and this can be achieved by self-examination and regular clinical checkup,” he added.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer affecting women in Malaysia. According to Cancer Research Malaysia, about 5,000 women in Malaysia are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. Until today, it is still the world’s leading cause of cancer mortality in women.

Translation: Tan Ewe Hoe/Text: Nik Sheila Erini Che Mat Kamel/Photo: Muhd Zulkifli Zakaria