Every year, over 2,000 women in Singapore receive the dreadful news that they have breast cancer. The most commonly occurring cancer among women here, statistics from the Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 2018 show that one in 13 women will get breast cancer in their lifetime. Every year, over 400 women die from breast cancer.
According to the Singapore Cancer Society, breast cancer usually originates from the cells lining the milk ducts and glands. The good news is when it is detected at this non-invasive or in-situ stage, treatment is easier and patients have a higher chance of recovery.
Treating breast cancer gets trickier when cancer cells invade the surrounding tissue, gaining entry into the circulatory and lymphatic system, and to other organs in the body, forming metastatic tumours.
The best way to prevent breast cancer: Early detection via breast self-examinations, mammograms and breast ultrasounds. Dr Jesse Hu, a breast and endocrine surgeon at Mount Alvernia Hospital, answers these questions about breast cancer from women in their twenties through seventies.