Number of breast cancer cases increasing rapidly
in Singapore
By Chan Eu Imm, Channel
NewsAsia | Posted: 12 August 2008 0007 hrs
SINGAPORE: Researchers from the National University of
Singapore (NUS) said the incidence of breast cancer among Singapore
women in their 50s is fast increasing, driven strongly by a low
fertility rate.
But the good news is, survival rates are also on the rise.
Professor Chia Kee Seng, director of Centre for Molecular
Epidemiology, NUS, said: "Chinese have the highest breast cancer
rates, followed by Malays and Indians. But the pattern of breast
cancer according to age is quite different.
"For the Chinese and Malay, post-menopausal rates essentially
plateau off... whereas for the Indian population, the age-specific
rates continue to increase over the entire age group."
Many factors are associated with breast cancer, including changes
in lifestyle and a rapidly declining fertility rate.
Professor Per Hall, Karolinska Institute, Sweden, said: "Singapore
women have adopted more Western lifestyles – they are having fewer
and fewer kids.
"They have their first child later in life, which means they have
an increased risk of breast cancer because there are few factors
that protect women from breast cancer the same way as having many
children and the first child very early in life."
Even though survival rates have seen steady improvement, more needs
to be done as only half of all cases are detected early.
"The important message that we want to get across is that women who
are 50 and above, especially those who have started their family
late and have a small number of children should go for mammographic
screening," said Prof Chia.
Prevention is just as important as early detection, as shown by a
recent study on Chinese women in Singapore, which showed that
eating more soy-based food products may reduce the risk of breast
cancer.
The risk reduction is also more significant in post-menopausal
women with higher body mass index.
Associate Professor Koh Won Puay, Occupational & Family
Medicine, NUS, said: "More of the women without cancer were eating
soy products, compared to those with breast cancer. We've also
found that women who had most protection were women who had been
eating soy foods since adolescent days."
Going forward, researchers said they would focus on better methods
for early breast cancer diagnosis and encourage more women to go
for screening.
- CNA/so
