Sunway Cancer Centre

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's immune defence. The two main types are Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A common early sign is a painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin, sometimes with night sweats, fever or weight loss. Treatment is tailored to the type and may include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, targeted therapy or radiotherapy.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell found in the bone marrow. As the abnormal cells build up, they can weaken the bones, lower healthy blood cell counts and affect kidney function. Early myeloma may cause no symptoms, but over time it can lead to bone pain, easy fractures, tiredness and repeated infections. Treatment may include targeted therapy, chemotherapy and a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant.

Myelodysplastic syndrome is a group of rare blood cancers where the bone marrow cannot make enough healthy, mature blood cells. This can lead to low blood counts, causing tiredness, frequent infections and easy bleeding. In some patients, MDS can develop into acute myeloid leukaemia over time. Treatment is based on the subtype and risk level, and may include supportive care, medication or a bone marrow transplant.

Breast cancer develops when cells in the breast grow in an abnormal, uncontrolled way, often forming a lump. It is the most common cancer among women in Malaysia, though it can also affect men. Warning signs include a breast lump, a change in breast size or shape, skin dimpling, or nipple discharge. When found early through screening such as mammography, it is highly treatable, with options including surgery (lumpectomy or mastectomy), radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy and HER2-targeted therapy.

Cervical cancer starts in the cells of the cervix, the lower part of the womb. Most cases are linked to long-term infection with the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is why regular Pap smears and HPV vaccination are important for prevention. Early cervical cancer often has no symptoms, but later signs can include abnormal vaginal bleeding, bleeding after intercourse or unusual discharge. Treatment may include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy or a combination, depending on the stage.

Childhood cancers develop in babies, children and teenagers, and they often behave differently from adult cancers. Common types include leukaemia, brain tumours and lymphomas. Because symptoms can be vague — such as ongoing tiredness, unexplained bruising, lumps or a fever that will not go away — early assessment by a specialist is important. Children are treated with plans designed for their age and needs, which may include chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy and supportive care.

Colorectal cancer affects the colon or rectum and often begins as small growths called polyps, which can slowly turn cancerous over several years. Regular screening, such as a colonoscopy, can find and remove these polyps early, often before symptoms appear. Warning signs include a change in bowel habits, blood in the stool, abdominal discomfort or unexplained weight loss. Treatment may involve surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy or targeted therapy, based on the stage.

Targeted therapy uses medicines that focus on specific features inside cancer cells — such as certain genes or proteins — that help the cancer grow and spread. By targeting these, it can attack cancer cells while causing less harm to normal cells. Because it is matched to the biology of the tumour, doctors may run special tests on the cancer (such as gene or protein tests) to check whether a targeted therapy is likely to work. It is used in many cancers, including breast, lung, colorectal and blood cancers, and is often combined with other treatments.

Immunotherapy helps the body's own immune system to find and destroy cancer cells. Cancer can sometimes hide from the immune system, and immunotherapy makes it easier for the body to recognise and attack the disease.
One common type is checkpoint inhibitors, which "release the brakes" on immune cells so they can fight cancer more effectively. It is used for a growing number of cancers and may be given on its own or alongside other treatments such as chemotherapy or targeted therapy.

Some cancers use the body's natural hormones to grow. Hormone therapy works by lowering hormone levels or blocking their effect, which can slow down or stop the cancer from growing. It is most commonly used for hormone-sensitive breast cancer and prostate cancer. Hormone therapy is often given over a longer period, sometimes as tablets or injections, and may be used together with surgery, radiotherapy or other treatments.
 

Radiation therapy, also called radiotherapy, uses high-energy beams such as X-rays to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumours, while aiming to protect the healthy tissue around them. It can be used on its own or together with surgery and chemotherapy — for example, to shrink a tumour before surgery or to clear any remaining cancer cells afterwards. Treatment is usually painless and given in short daily sessions over several weeks. It is carefully planned using imaging so the radiation targets the tumour as precisely as possible.

In standard radiotherapy, small permanent tattoo marks are placed on the skin to line up the body in the same position for each session. Tattooless radiation therapy removes the need for these permanent marks. At Sunway, this uses Surface Guided Radiotherapy (SGRT) with AlignRT technology. Special cameras read the surface of the skin using safe, non-invasive light to position the patient accurately, with no needle pricks or lasting marks. The same system supports a technique called Deep Inspiration Breath Hold (DIBH), which follows the patient's breathing and pauses the beam if they move too much — helping to protect nearby organs such as the heart during breast cancer treatment.

A bone marrow transplant, also called a stem cell transplant, replaces damaged or diseased bone marrow with healthy blood-forming stem cells. It is mainly used for blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma. The healthy stem cells can come from the patient themselves (autologous transplant) or from a matched donor (allogeneic transplant). High-dose chemotherapy is usually given first to clear the diseased marrow. After the transplant, the new stem cells travel to the bone marrow and start making healthy blood cells. Recovery is closely monitored, as the immune system needs time to rebuild.

CAR-T cell therapy is an advanced form of immunotherapy that uses the patient's own immune cells to fight cancer. It is used for certain blood cancers, such as some types of leukaemia and lymphoma. A type of white blood cell called a T-cell is collected from the patient, changed in a laboratory to recognise cancer cells, then multiplied and returned to the body to seek out and attack the cancer. Because it is highly specialised, CAR-T therapy is carefully planned and patients are monitored closely for side effects. It may be an option when other treatments have not worked.

Targeted radionuclide therapy delivers radiation from inside the body. A small amount of radioactive material is attached to a molecule designed to travel to and lock onto specific cancer cells. Once attached, it delivers a focused dose of radiation directly to the cancer, while limiting the effect on surrounding healthy tissue. Examples include treatment for certain neuroendocrine tumours and thyroid cancer. The treatment is given by a nuclear medicine team, and patients are monitored to make sure it is delivered safely.

Interventional radiology uses imaging — such as ultrasound, CT or X-ray — to guide small, minimally invasive procedures. In cancer care, it lets doctors reach and treat tumours through tiny openings instead of open surgery. Techniques include tumour ablation (using heat or cold to destroy a tumour) and delivering treatment directly into a tumour through the blood vessels, which is often used for liver cancer. Because these procedures are minimally invasive, they often mean less pain, smaller wounds and a faster recovery for suitable patients.

The Varian TrueBeam STx is an advanced linear accelerator (LINAC) that delivers highly precise external radiotherapy. It shapes the radiation beam to match the tumour and can treat cancers that move with breathing, such as those in the lung or breast. It uses built-in imaging to check the tumour's position before and during treatment, so the radiation is delivered accurately while protecting nearby healthy tissue. The system treats a wide range of cancers and supports advanced techniques such as stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT).

The Radixact X9 TomoTherapy system is a next-generation, image-guided radiotherapy machine that combines daily imaging with precise radiation delivery. It can treat tumours by delivering radiation continuously in a full 360-degree circle around the patient. Before each session it takes an image to check the exact position of the tumour, and it can adapt the plan to small day-to-day changes in the body — this is known as adaptive radiotherapy. Because it shapes the dose so precisely, it can treat complex or hard-to-reach tumours while sparing healthy tissue, and it can even treat more than one area in a single session.

Despite its name, the Leksell Gamma Knife is not a knife and involves no cutting. It is a very precise form of radiosurgery that treats conditions in the brain by focusing many fine beams of radiation onto a single, exact target.
Each beam on its own is weak, but where they all meet they deliver a strong, focused dose to the tumour or abnormal area, while the surrounding healthy brain tissue receives very little radiation. It is used to treat brain tumours and certain other brain conditions, often in a single session, with no surgical wound and usually a short recovery time.