The wife of Malaysia's Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has made progress after undergoing treatment for breast cancer, local media said Sunday.

Endon Mahmood's condition was stable but weak, said Hisham Abdullah, head and consultant of Putrajaya Hospital's breast and endocrine surgery department.

"We are pleased to note she has made notable, albeit slow progress," he said in a statement to Bernama .

"Given her temporarily-weakened immune system, there is still a high possibility of her contracting a secondary infection," he said adding that the number of visitors seeing her would be restricted.

Endon, 64, who was diagnosed with the disease in 2003, had been undergoing treatment in the United States.

Hisham said she had undergone five courses of chemotherapy over the last two months. Bernama previously reported that she has had a radical mastectomy, removing all breast tissue.

In Putrajaya Hospital

She returned home last weekend, after spending more than three months in the United States, to spend the holy Muslim month of Ramadan with her family and has been at the Putrajaya Hospital in the country's administrative centre since.

The first lady, whose mother was Japanese, has been living in the shadow of the disease since her twin sister Noraini died in 2003 from breast cancer.

Endon devotes her time to social, community and charity work, and is also a strong supporter of arts and crafts.

She was the victim of rumour-mongering campaign earlier this year, with the spread of an SMS text message saying that she had died, provoking an outcry in the media and amongst Malaysians, who slammed the messages as heartless.