Singap Med J
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Breast cancer is the commonest cancer for females in Malaysia, with a prevalence of 86.2 per 100,000 women in 1996. Breast cancer mortality rate shows an increasing trend in Malaysia from 0.61 in 1983 to 1.8 per 100,000 women in 1992. The aim of this study was to identify the risk factors for breast cancer in women in Malaysia. ⋯ This study reconfirmed that similar risk factors identified in Western populations were responsible for the occurrence of breast cancer in Kelantan. It also supported the theory that breast cancer occurrence was related to oestrogen exposure and familial factors. It suggested the importance of having children, maintaining ideal body weight and caution for oral contraceptive users and women with a family history of breast cancer.