Malaysia launches evidence-based CPG on cervical cancer

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia has produced the first evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) on cervical cancer with the launching of the second edition of CPG on the Management of Cervical Cancer.
Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the second edition CPG aimed to guide healthcare providers on evidence-based management of invasive cervical cancer in the Malaysian healthcare setting.
Replacing the first edition CPG which was consensus-based, the second edition covers various aspects of managing the disease, ranging from diagnosis and staging, treatment, referral and follow-up.
"The first edition CPG on the Management of Cervical Cancer was published in 2003. Many new developments especially in the treatment of the condition have emerged which lead to variations in clinical practice.
"Based on this, the CPG has been updated using a systematic review methodology," Dr Noor Hisham said when launching the second edition CPG at the National Cancer Institute, here, today.
He said the CPG was intended to guide those involved in the management of cervical cancer either in primary or secondary/tertiary care, namely medical officers and general practitioners, allied health professionals, trainees and medical students, patients and their advocates, and professional societies.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2015 report, he said, cervical cancer was ranked the fourth commonest cancer among women, after breast, colorectal and lung cancer. — Bernama