With obesity and metabolic syndrome reaching alarming levels in Malaysia, clinicians are looking beyond conventional approaches to expand the bariatric toolbox. Among the emerging options, intragastric balloons (IGBs) are gaining momentum as a minimally invasive, endoscopic solution to support the initial step in weight loss alongside lifestyle change. At the recent “Intragastric Balloon” workshop hosted by the Department of Surgery, Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz (HCTM) UKM in Kuala Lumpur, leading experts in bariatric innovation shared their perspectives on advancing IGB therapy in clinical practice. 

Obesity has traditionally been viewed as a risk factor for other conditions and the concept of obesity as a standalone disease remains a subject of debate.1 In a landmark 2025 publication, the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission redefined obesity through a clinical lens—shifting away from bod

Analysis of the SEER-MHOS database found that vaginal estrogen use was associated with reduced overall mortality in hormone receptor–positive (HR+) breast cancer patients, without increasing breast cancer–specific mortality. These findings may help inform discussions on the use of vaginal estrogen in patients receiving anti-hormonal treatment.

Excessive adiposity is associated with the development and progression of both HFpEF and T2DM. Comorbidity of T2DM in patients with HFpEF is common, resulting in a greater symptom burden and worse functional status. Semaglutide is a once-weekly GLP-1RA shown to significantly improve HF related symptoms, physical limitations and body weight in patients with obesity-related HFpEF without T2DM.

The clinical outcomes for human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (HER2+) early breast cancer (EBC) have been significantly improved since the emergence of HER2-directed therapies.1 Utilizing f-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT), de-escalatio

The monarchE trial was the only adjuvant trial that assessed the benefits of adding 2 years of adjuvant abemaciclib to endocrine therapy (ET) in high-risk hormone receptor-positive (HR+), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-), early breast cancer (EBC) patients.¹ This trial randomized 5,637 patients in 1:1 into the abemaciclib + ET group or the ET alone group.¹ In the primary analysis, 2-year abemaciclib demonstrated significant risk reductions in invasive disease-free survival (IDFS) (HR=0.664; 95% CI: 0.578-0.762) and distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) (HR=0.659; 95% CI: 0.567-0.767) in the overall intention-to-treat (ITT) population.¹ In a subsequent subgroup analysis, the dataset was divided into 2 age subgroups, i.e., patients aged <65 years (n=4,787) and ≥65 years (n=850).¹ The median follow-up of monarchE was 42 months

Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) analog that aids in weight loss by suppressing appetite, has recently gained approval from the United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat obesity in children aged ≥12 years.1,2 The approval was based on the positive findings of a rec

Glossary: BICR: Blinded independent central review; CI: Confidence interval; ECOG: Eastern Cooperation Oncology Group; HER2-: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative; HR: Hazard ratio; HR+: Hormone receptor-positive; HR-: Hormone receptor-negative; IHC: Immunohistochemistry; ISH: In situ