Kuala lumpur 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.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Kelantan health director Datuk Dr Mohd Azman Yacob stated that the hospital recorded an increase of more than 50 per cent in sarcoma case referrals last year and successfully carried out 133 surgical procedures. The HRPZ II Sarcoma Team, established last year, achieved a milestone by performing Malaysia's first osteosarcoma surgery using the liquid nitrogen technique on 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 highlighted the significant improvement in patients' health, including higher survival rates and better prognoses.

He mentioned that the HRPZ II Sarcoma Team has the potential to become a reference model for other hospitals in the country and to expand to the Asian level. 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.

Dr Mohd Azman further explained the complexity of sarcoma, a rare cancer with more than 70 subtypes, making diagnosis and treatment more challenging. He emphasized the importance of awareness, early detection, and multidisciplinary collaboration to ensure patients have the best chance of recovery.