New blood test to improve early detection of breast cancer now available in Singapore

Raffles Medical Group on Monday (Sep 26) announced it has added Mastocheck, a new breast cancer diagnostic tool, to its list of health screening services, adding that it is the first healthcare provider to do so in Singapore.

Developed by South Korean company Bertis, Mastocheck is a blood-based test that can be used to supplement your routine mammogram to improve chances of detecting signs of breast cancer early. 

It is a convenient method that requires “just a small amount of blood” for diagnosis, said Raffles Medical Group in a press release. 

Mastocheck was first approved for human use by the Korean Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2019. 

“Asian women tend to have denser breasts, where there is more gland tissue compared to fatty tissue. In such cases, breast tumours may be difficult to detect through a routine mammogram.

“Mastocheck can thus be used to supplement the routine mammogram to increase the accuracy of detecting breast cancer early,” said the medical group, which has 37 outlets across Singapore.