The Economic Impact of Breast Cancer in the South-East Asian Region

Abstract: In many parts of the world, are not only the economic consequences of breast cancer a burden to society, but also patients and their families directly endure financial hardship after a breast cancer diagnosis. This chapter examines the economic consequences of breast cancer for patients and families in a low- and middle income setting. Results of a study on financial catastrophe and mortality after breast cancer diagnosis, conducted in several countries in South-East Asia, are described.

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Global Doctrine and Local Knowledge: Law in South East Asia

International and Comparative Law Quarterly ◽

10.1093/iclq/51.1.35 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 51 (1) ◽

pp. 35-53 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Andrew Harding

Keyword(s):

East Asia ◽

Turn Of The Century ◽

Human Society ◽

South East Asia ◽

South East Asian Region ◽

East Asian Region ◽

The World ◽

The Subject ◽

Short Space ◽

The Relationship

The relationship between the global and the local is one of critical importance to all regions of the world. In the resolution of the tension between the irresistible surge of globalisation and the undeniable facts of society as it actually exists in the various localities which together comprise the very world which is presumably the object or the subject-matter of globalisation, law lies at the forefront. It is, one might say, the very intellectual battlefield which we have selected for the resolution of the major problem facing human society at the turn of the century. The purpose of this article is therefore to investigate, in a somewhat narrative fashion the relationship between the global and the local in the context of law in South East Asia. The topic is clearly too large to be dealt with in a short space with the rigour and articulation it really deserves, but it is hoped that the approach adopted will provide some kind of a frame of reference for regarding, studying, and hopefully improving, the law in the South East Asian region; and will perhaps focus a pencil of light on the problems of the global and the local in this particular regional context.

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Employment Challenges Faced by Breast Cancer Survivors in an Upper Middle–Income Asian Setting

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.18.25300 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement 2) ◽

pp. 119s-119s

Author(s):

Y.-C. Kong ◽

N.T. Bhoo-Pathy ◽

L.-P. Wong ◽

A.F. Aziz ◽

N.A. Taib ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Return To Work ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Work Environment ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Income Loss ◽

Middle Income ◽

Number Of Patients

Background: Cancer survivorship as an area, which focuses on the health and life of an individual following cancer diagnosis and treatment is increasingly being recognized as an important component of the cancer control continuum. Advances in breast cancer detection and treatments have resulted in a growing number of patients experiencing a breast cancer diagnosis at an age when career plays an important role in their lives. Yet, very little is known on how breast cancer affects employment and return to work among survivors, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. Aim: This qualitative study aims to gain an in-depth understanding on employment challenges and motivators/barriers in return to work faced by breast cancer survivors in an upper-middle income Asian setting. Methods: Eleven focus group discussions (FGDs) were conducted with breast cancer survivors representing various ethnicities and socioeconomic backgrounds in Malaysia. Patients diagnosed one to two years prior to the study were recruited from a general public hospital, a public academic hospital and two private hospitals. Data from the FGDs were examined using thematic content analysis from the NVivo software. Results: The major themes relating to impact of cancer diagnosis on employment were “decreased work ability”, “job loss”, “long absenteeism” and “hostile work environment”. Coping strategy themes frequently mentioned to offset income loss from employment changes were “savings”, “part-time work” or financial support from “family/friends” or “social security”. However, participants were quick to highlight the insufficiency and unreliability of these strategies to cope financially in the long run. When describing their decision in choosing to return to work, participants mentioned themes such as “need money”, feeling “more happy” or having a “supportive work environment”. Nonetheless, participants emphasized the “discrimination” they faced in finding a job after active treatment. Specifically, participants' frequent need to take time-off from work for their cancer follow-ups as well as their older age were perceived as disadvantages in seeking employment when compared with younger, healthy applicants. Conclusion: It is evident that a breast cancer diagnosis severely disrupts employment and return to work in middle income settings. Multisectoral interventions are urgently required to improve the employment status of our cancer survivors, including legislative reforms to prevent discrimination. Programs supporting employment and return to work among cancer survivors should be developed and integrated in the provision of a holistic survivorship care.

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Impact of Community-Based Clinical Breast Examinations in Botswana

JCO Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/go.20.00231 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 17-26

Author(s):

Michael Dykstra ◽

Brighid Malone ◽

Onica Lekuntwane ◽

Jason Efstathiou ◽

Virginia Letsatsi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Screening Program ◽

Breast Cancer Mortality ◽

Clinical Breast Examination ◽

Breast Cancer Diagnosis ◽

Community Based ◽

Middle Income ◽

Clinical Breast ◽

Clinical Breast Examinations

PURPOSE We evaluated a clinical breast examination (CBE) screening program to determine the prevalence of breast abnormalities, number examined per cancer diagnosis, and clinical resources required for these diagnoses in a middle-income African setting. METHODS We performed a retrospective review of a CBE screening program (2015-2018) by Journey of Hope Botswana, a Botswana-based nongovernmental organization (NGO). Symptomatic and asymptomatic women were invited to attend. Screening events were held in communities throughout rural and periurban Botswana, with CBEs performed by volunteer nurses. Individuals who screened positive were referred to a private tertiary facility and were followed by the NGO. Data were obtained from NGO records. RESULTS Of 6,120 screened women (50 men excluded), 452 (7.4%) presented with a symptom and 357 (5.83%) were referred for further evaluation; 257 ultrasounds, 100 fine-needle aspirations (FNAs), 58 mammograms, and 31 biopsies were performed. In total, 6,031 were exonerated from cancer, 78 were lost to follow-up (67 for ≤ 50 years and 11 for > 50 years), and 11 were diagnosed with cancer (five for 41-50 years and six for > 50 years, 10 presented with symptoms). Overall breast cancer prevalence was calculated to be 18/10,000 (95% CI, 8 to 29/10,000). The number of women examined per breast cancer diagnosis was 237 (95% CI, 126 to 1910) for women of age 41-50 years and 196 (95% CI, 109 to 977) for women of age > 50 years. Median time to diagnosis for all women was 17.5 [1 to 32.5] days. CBE-detected tumors were not different than tumors presenting through standard care. CONCLUSION In a previously unscreened population, yield from community-based CBE screening was high, particularly among symptomatic women, and required modest diagnostic resources. This strategy has potential to reduce breast cancer mortality.

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India And South East Asia: Continuty And Changes In A Globalised World

History Research Journal ◽

10.26643/hrj.v5i4.7743 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 257-269

Author(s):

Dr. Kiran Bala

Keyword(s):

East Asian ◽

South East Asia ◽

Economic Nationalism ◽

South East Asian Region ◽

East Asian Region ◽

Institutional Approach ◽

The Individual ◽

The Relationship ◽

Major Emphasis ◽

Complete Metamorphosis

The paper basically aims to critically examine and analyze the relationship that dwells between India and the South East Asian nations in the globalized inter connected world. The paper specifically tries to cater to look into the matter with respect to the inception of the process of globalization and how that has evolved with the process of time there by leading to a complete metamorphosis of South East Asian region as a whole. The traditional aspects, concerns of economic nationalism, the region emerging as a powerful geopolitical entity, issues of cultural homogeneity are the points of focus, however major emphasis has also seen laid to study the evolution of the individual as a potent agent in the process of globalization studies since it tries to look beyond the institutional approach so that the same can be looked from a new angle.

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Evidence on mental health policy gaps in South East Asia: A systematic review of South East Asian countries with special focus on Myanmar

10.21203/rs.2.20080/v1 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Anil Kumar Indira Krishnan ◽

Parvathy N ◽

Rajeev Mohan ◽

Claire Stein ◽

Win Pa Sandar

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

East Asian ◽

Mental Health Policy ◽

National Policy ◽

South East Asia ◽

The South ◽

South East Asian Region ◽

East Asian Region ◽

Asian Region ◽

Health Disorders

Abstract Background: The authors synthesised the findings of current and available policies on mental health in the South-East Asian region, primarily focusing and aiming at providing evidence and guidance for framing the mental health policy for Myanmar. Methodology: The research questions were framed using Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcomes and Study Design (PICOS) framework and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines were used for study selection. A comprehensive literature search of different electronic databases such as Medline, Science Direct, SCOPUS, Web of Science, EMBASE, Cochrane Library of Systematic Reviews and Google Scholar was carried out in order to identify relevant studies. Results: The main findings indicate that very few countries in the South East Asian region currently have a National Policy on mental health, and those that do have encounter several barriers in rolling out these policies. Little importance and efforts have been made to address mental health disorders, making the burden even more difficult to address. Myanmar is considerably behind other countries in the South East Asian region and is in need for developing a national policy and guidelines targeting mental health disorders. Conclusions: In order to address the mental health burden in the country, increased advocacy and evidence-based policy recommendations for integrating mental health services into national health guidelines and policy plans is necessary. Keywords: Systematic review, South-east Asia Region, Mental health, Myanmar, national policy, evidence

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Behavioral Interventions for Smokeless Tobacco Cessation

Nicotine & Tobacco Research ◽

10.1093/ntr/ntz107 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 22 (4) ◽

pp. 588-593

Author(s):

Suzanne Tanya Nethan ◽

Dhirendra Narain Sinha ◽

Shashi Sharma ◽

Ravi Mehrotra

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Publication Bias ◽

Smokeless Tobacco ◽

Behavioral Interventions ◽

East Asian ◽

World Health ◽

South East Asian Region ◽

East Asian Region ◽

Asian Region ◽

The World

Abstract Introduction Consumption of smokeless tobacco (SLT) is on the rise (especially in the World Health Organization South-East Asian region) and has numerous repercussions over the consumer’s health. This article reviews studies performed for SLT cessation using behavioral interventions, worldwide till 2017. Methods A systematic review by PICO (Problem, intervention, comparison, outcome) of behavioral intervention-based SLT cessation studies with minimum 6 months’ follow-up, reporting outcomes in terms of risk ratios (RRs) and 95% confidence interval (CI), published between 1992 and 2017 was performed. This was followed by a meta-analysis of the outcomes of these studies by deriving the pooled estimates by the random effects model, for those on adults and youth, categorized according to the type of country where the study was performed, that is, in terms of developed or developing. Publication bias among the included studies was assessed by the Begg’s test. Results Nineteen eligible studies comprising 24 498 participants, from all over the world were included. Behavioral interventions showed overall efficacy in SLT cessation in adults (RR = 1.63, 95% CI = 1.32 to 1.94) both in the developed (RR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.16 to 1.63) and developing (RR = 2.79, 95% CI = 2.32 to 3.25) countries. However, these interventions did not prove effective for SLT cessation among youth overall (RR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.73 to 1.41), either in the developed (RR = 1.39, 95% CI = 0.58 to 2.21) or in the developing (RR = 0.87, 95% CI = 0.68 to 1.07) countries. Publication bias was noted in all the studies among adults (p = .22) and youth (p = .05). Conclusion Behavioral interventions as a single modality are effective in SLT cessation, both in the developed and developing countries. Health care providers should be sensitized to provide the same. Implications A recent literature survey by Cochrane reviewed studies on interventions for SLT, including behavioral interventions, which included only those from the developed countries. The current analysis provides a broader, global update on the same by including studies performed both in the developed and developing countries (specifically the South-East Asian region—the high burden countries of SLT products).

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