More than 4,000 Malaysians were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003. The vast majority of these were women, although breast cancer does occur in men. Breast cancer is now the most common female cancer in Malaysia and accounts for 30% of all new cancer cases in women. For women, the lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 1 in 19. Most of the women who get breast cancer are past their menopause, but almost 2,000 diagnosed each year are under 50 years old. 

CARIF has identified new genetic changes
in breast cancer genes in Malaysians
Research in Caucasian women has shown that if you have a very strong family history, there may be a faulty gene in your family that increases your risk of breast cancer. However, before CARIF started analysing these two breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) in the Malays, Chinese and Indians, there was very little data about Malaysians.

CARIF, in collaboration with Universiti Malaya, has conducted the most comprehensive analysis on BRCA1 and BRCA2 in Malays, Chinese and Indians. To date, we have identified 48 alterations (18 in BRCA1 & 30 in BRCA2), of which 24 have not been found in Caucasian women and instead, appear new and unique to Malaysians. Our data suggests, for the first time, that the risk profile in Asians is significantly different from that in Caucasians. We are using this data to develop guidelines for genetic testing for the breast cancer genes (BRCA1 and BRCA2) and to develop an Asian-specific risk prediction model for breast cancer. We are also conducting research to identify better ways to detect and diagnose cancer earlier.