Breast, prostate cancers rising sharply in Singapore

SINGAPORE: Over the past 40 years, the incidence of breast cancer here has more than doubled, from 25 to 65 per 100,000 women. Over the same period, prostate cancer has gone up fivefold, from six to 30 per 100,000 men.

For women, breast cancer is not just the most common cancer, accounting for one in three cancers in women. It is also the top killer.

The latest cancer registry report released last month showed that 2,105 women died of breast cancer between 2011 and 2015. More than half the women were diagnosed between the age of 45 and 64.

The good news is that 71% were diagnosed in the early stages, giving them a high chance of survival. Those at Stage One have a 91% chance of surviving beyond five years, compared with 20% for those discovered at Stage Four.

“There was a significant increase in the survival of breast cancer patients from the period 2006-2010 to 2011-2015, likely due to improvements in treatment regimes,” the report said.

This is why the death toll for breast cancer has remained fairly stable in spite of the sharp upward trend in incidence.

The report added that survival was “noticeably better” among Chinese women, who are also those at highest risk of getting this cancer.

Prostate cancer now makes up one in seven cancers in men and is the third most common cancer for them, up from seventh place 40 years ago. In the five years from 2011 to 2015, 4,053 men were diagnosed with this cancer and 795 died of it.

Dr Raymond Ng of the National Cancer Centre Singapore said the rise of breast and prostate cancers is “expected for a country that has become wealthier”, as its people would be more sedentary and overweight.