Despite diagnostic challenges, the prognosis for brain tumour patients has improved significantly in the last decade, owing to emerging therapies and cutting-edge treatments.   A brain tumour is a growth of cells in the brain or near it. Tumours can occur in or near the brain tissue, and in surrounding locations including the nerves, the pituitary gland, the pineal gland, and the membranes that cover the surface of the brain.    Fortunately, brain tumours are relatively rare. According to World Health Organization's Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN ..read more

Poor medication adherence is a critical issue among hypertension patients and must be addressed to prevent more disastrous consequences.   Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a major public health concern worldwide. It is the single most important leading cause of cardiovascular disease mortality globally and in Southeast Asia.   Shockingly, one quarter (25%) of adults in Southeast Asia suffer from hypertension, putting the total number of affected individuals in the region higher than the global prevalence (22%). Only one in three adults with the condition are said to be on t ..read more

The cause for liver cancer in Asia is undergoing a transition from viral to non-viral factors, with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease emerging as a leading risk factor.   Liver cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths around the world. Up to 1,837 people die from liver cancer every day, which is roughly 76 people every hour. In Asia alone, liver cancer is identified as the fifth most common cancer and second most common cause of cancer-related death.   While significant advances have been made in early diagnosis and surgical resection of liver cancer during the ..read more

The rising prevalence of chronic kidney disease signals an urgent need for immediate intervention.   Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is an emerging public health concern which affects one in 10 (13.4%) adults and accounts for millions of premature deaths worldwide. In 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) ranked CKD as the 10th leading cause of death and is expected to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2040.   Characterised by the irreversible and progressive loss of kidney function, CKD causes excess fluid, waste and electrolytes to build up in the blood. As the ..read more

Improving awareness and treatment of rare diseases requires concerted effort from all stakeholders, particularly patient advocacy groups, to drive policy changes from the ground up.   By definition, rare diseases refer to medical conditions with a specific pattern of clinical signs, symptoms, and findings that affects fewer than or equal to 1 in 2000 persons. Collectively, there are approximately 6,000 to 8,000 diseases identified as rare, which affect about 400 million sufferers worldwide or 3% to 8% of the global population.   In Southeast Asia, the rare disease landscape and ..read more

Patients and their healthcare practitioners (HCPs) must see each other as partners to improve healthcare design and delivery, but increasing treatment costs remain a concern.   In Northern America, Europe and Australia, the Patient and Family Advisory Council (PFAC) has become a model for systematic patient engagement and patient- and family-centric care. It has also been recognised as a method of improving patient experience and patient safety.   According to a 2018 report on PFACs in New York State hospitals, hospitals with high-functioning PFACs reported better patient satisfacti ..read more

Holidays are typically a season of joyous celebrations, when relatives return from abroad and families get together. However, they can also trigger intense feelings of loneliness in the elderly. Many of us in Asia are gearing up for a slew of festivities in the coming months, with Christmas just past, the New Year almost upon us, and Chinese New Year fast approaching. Thanks to the religious and cultural diversity in countries such as Malaysia, holidays and festivals come around multiple times a year, and with them, many social gatherings.   However, not everyone experiences holidays and ..read more

It's a good time to be in medical and healthcare communications In recent years we have seen unprecedented advances in medicines for all kinds of diseases. The groundbreaking mRNA technology used to create COVID-19 vaccines is now being used to develop vaccines and therapies for other diseases such as autoimmune disease, cancer, and heart disease. Novel technologies such as therapeutic monoclonal antibodies, gene therapies, and targeted cancer therapies have also come to market in recent years. Advances are not limited to medicines; diagnostics has also seen great progress. There are genetic ..read more

Effective communication is a crucial aspect of any clinical practice, especially one specialising in aesthetic medicine. While effective communication skills in healthcare can impact patient safety, quality of care, and workplace efficiency, these skills are often neglected in formal medical education. Although all undergraduate medical students enrolled in a Malaysian study agreed soft skills are essential for physicians, they tend to focus on technical skills during their education. A Singapore study highlighted young physicians often struggle with communication due to their use of complex ..read more

Experts say it takes a village to normalise conversation on mental health issues and improve youths' access to mental health support. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one in seven or 14% of young people aged 10-19 years’ experience mental health conditions, which are largely untreated. Globally, mental disorders account for a significant portion of disease burden in youths, but unfortunately these disorders are not detected until much later in life. Studies have found that the incidence of mental disorders peak during adolescence. Up to one in five people experience clinicall ..read more