Cancer Care

Breast cancer is an abnormal growth of tissue that usually originates from the cells lining the milk ducts and glands. It can be benign (non-cancerous) or malignant (cancerous).

When breast cancer is detected at an early, non-invasive stage, treatment is more likely to be successful and you will have a higher chance of recovery. At a more advanced stage, when cancer cells have invaded the surrounding breast tissue, it can spread to other parts of your body like the lungs, bones and liver.

Breast cancer screening

Early diagnosis and treatment vastly improves the chance of recovery. Regular screening is crucial to detecting breast cancer in its early stages:

• For women below age 40, conduct a monthly breast self-examination to check for changes to the breast
• For women aged 40 and above, it is recommended to go for a mammogram at least once a year

Talk to your doctor to understand more.

Breast cancer treatments

Removing the whole breast used to be the standard treatment in treating breast cancers. However, studies with data spanning the last few decades have proven that a lumpectomy is just as effective at achieving a cancer cure and preventing the recurrence of breast cancer in early stage cancers — but with far less devastating results cosmetically.

In fact, recent data has shown some indication that lumpectomy with radiation therapy may achieve even lower recurrence rates and higher survival rates than mastectomy.

Nonetheless, a small proportion of patients will still require mastectomy. These are patients with large tumour to breast size ratio, multi-focal cancers or a high genetic risk for breast cancer. Hormone therapy after treatment for certain patients can reduce the risk of recurrence.

Cervical cancer develops in the cervix (the neck of the womb) and is the 10th most common cancer for women in Singapore.

It is usually caused by infection of the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is transmitted through vaginal or anal sex. The virus can also spread through close skin-to-skin touching during sex. A person with HPV can pass the infection to someone even when they have no signs or symptoms.

Cervical cancer is a disease which is:

• Highly preventable through immunisation against common strains of HPV — the current vaccines have up to a 97% protection if given below the age of 27 years old
• Easily detectable with regular HPV and Pap smear tests
• Curable when treated early or at the pre-cancerous stage

Learn more: Preventing cervical cancer

Ovarian cancer is the 5th most common cancer for women in Singapore. The ovaries are part of the female reproductive system where the eggs are produced. Ovarian cancer is an abnormal growth of tissue in the ovary.

Ovarian cancer typically do not present any symptoms in its early stages. In its more advanced stages, symptoms can include:

• Abdominal swelling or discomfort
• Bloating
• Persistent indigestion
• Nausea
• Changes in bowel habits such as constipation
• Loss of appetite
• Back pain

Uterine cancer, or cancer of the uterus, is the 3rd most common cancer of the female genital tract in Singapore. Uterine cancer occurs when a tumour mass forms as a result of abnormal changes in the cells of the uterus.

Common uterine cancer symptoms include:

• Irregular vaginal bleeding
• Abnormal vaginal discharge, especially if blood stained
• Pressure or pain in pelvic area