Cancer remains the number one cause of death in Singapore. What is also irrefutable is that the number of new cases continues to rise through the decades.
For instance, the number of new cancer cases was 189 per 100,000 population from 1968 to 1972; this number climbed to 237 per 100,000 population from 2015 to 2019, according to the Singapore Cancer Registry’s latest 2019 report.
Better awareness, earlier screening and improved detection could have contributed to the increase in the number of cases reported.
The silver lining to the cancer situation in Singapore is that, over the years, survival rates have improved, noted the same report. Between 1968 and 1972, 93 deaths due to cancer were recorded per 100,000 population; that has dropped to 79 deaths per 100,000 population from 2015 to 2019.
One factor contributing to the improvement could be the development of more targeted medicines. The one-size-fits-all approach has been giving way to precision medicine that “targets the right treatment to the right patient at the right time”, said Dr Richard Quek, a senior consultant in medical oncology at Parkway Cancer Centre.
“For example, not every breast cancer has the exact same gene mutations, so these cancers may not always respond to the same treatment in the same way.”
Other than precision or personalised medicine, there are other oncological advancements being made that augment it, or not. Here’s a quick look at some developments that are taking place right here in Singapore.
LOW-COST METHOD OF TESTING FOR CANCER