HRPZ II AIMS TO BECOME A NATIONAL AND ASIAN SARCOMA REFERRAL CENTRE - DIRECTOR

KOTA BHARU, April 30 (Bernama) -- Raja Perempuan Zainab Hospital (HRPZ) II aims to become a leading referral centre for musculoskeletal tumours at both the national and Asian levels, particularly in the treatment of sarcoma, a rare form of cancer.

Kelantan health director Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Yacob said the hospital recorded an increase of more than 50 per cent in sarcoma case referrals last year, and successfully carried out 133 surgical procedures.

He said the HRPZ II Sarcoma Team, established last year, also made history by successfully performing Malaysia’s first osteosarcoma surgery using the liquid nitrogen technique, involving a three-year-old patient.

“As of this year, five patients have successfully undergone the surgery. The success demonstrates the team’s high level of expertise in improving patients’ quality of life,” he said at the East Coast Sarcoma Symposium 2026 at HRPZ II here today.

Dr Mohd Azman said many patients have shown significant improvement in terms of health, including higher survival rates and better prognoses.

He said the achievement demonstrates the potential of the HRPZ II Sarcoma Team to become a reference model for other hospitals in the country and to expand to the Asian level. He added that treatment costs, which range between RM30,000 and RM50,000, are now covered through the hospital’s medical fund in collaboration with the Kelantan Islamic Religious and Malay Customs Council and the National Cancer Council.

He added that sarcoma is a rare cancer but has serious impacts, with more than 70 subtypes, making diagnosis and treatment more complex. Therefore, awareness, early detection and multidisciplinary collaboration are crucial to ensure patients have the best chance of recovery.

-- BERNAMA