Johor Records 25,460 Cancer Cases in M’sia, Doctors Say Its Because Of Stress & Overworking

Johor has become the state with the highest number of recorded cancer cases in Malaysia with a whopping total of 25,460 diagnosed, said Aminolhuda Hassan, the Chairman of the Committee of Education, Health and Human Resources.

Through analysing reports from the Malaysia National Cancer Registry 2012-2016, the chairman added that this number was extremely alarming as:

“Johor has the highest incidence of various cancers such as colorectal, throat and lung, leukaemia, liver, prostate, ovarian and uterus cancer,” said Hassan as reported by Berita Harian. 

But what’s even more worrying is the reason behind this sudden spike in cancer statistics. According to Oriental Daily, medical specialists have identified overworking and the stress of living as contributing factors to the increased risk of cancer.

Dr.Zhu, the director of the Department of Oncology and Traditional Chinese Medicine in Johor Specialist Hospital said that in addition to poor eating habits, long-term exposure to stressful situations and negative emotions could also be one of the causes of cancer.

“Going to work early and returning late, long-term back and forth traffic jams and negative emotions as well as workplace stress, will damage personal health”, said the medical professional. He even went as far as to underline that the group of people with the highest risk of cancer are office workers and employees. 

But this isn’t the first time a doctor has related stress and overworking to cancer. In a report published by MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr Lorenzo Cohen Ph.D, has also said that “stress has a profound impact on how your body’s systems function…it [stress] makes your body more hospitable to cancer.”

And if you think being young puts you at an advantage here, you’re gravely mistaken. Volunteers from the Johor Bahru Cancer Mutual Aid Society have also revealed that cancer patients are gradually becoming younger. “From the cancer patients I have come into contact with, there are four cancer patients under the age of 26, with the youngest one being only 16-years-old.”

Keep your health in check guys! We should always strive for a healthy work-life balance.