SINGAPORE – The take-up rate for breast cancer screening remains low in Singapore, despite the disease being the most common cancer among women here.
One in 13 women here will get the disease and most of those diagnosed are above the age of 40.
The National Population Health Survey 2022 found that only 37.6 per cent of Singapore women aged 50 to 69 reported going for mammography in the last two years. This figure is close to the take-up rate of 38.7 per cent in 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Breast cancer screening rates are significantly lower here than in other developed nations.
In the United States, for example, 75.9 per cent of women aged 50 to 74 had gone for a mammogram between 2020 and 2021.
In Denmark, Finland and Sweden, at least 80 per cent of women aged 50 to 69 had gone for the screening in the same period.
Assistant Professor Samuel Ow, chairman of the Breast Cancer Awareness Month 2023 organising committee, said Singapore’s statistics are of concern and more needs to be done to get women to participate.
“A common misconception people have is that they won’t get the disease because they have no family history. But only about 30 per cent of breast cancer patients here have positive family history,” said Prof Ow, a senior consultant in the department of haematology-oncology at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore.
Even though 96 per cent of Singapore women are aware of the importance of mammogram screening, Prof Ow said some fear receiving cancer outcomes from the screening procedure and thus delay or avoid doing it.
He added: “With the advancements in medicine, breast cancer is highly treatable even for seniors. It is not a death sentence.”
As to why Singapore does more poorly in this domain compared with other countries, Prof Ow attributed it to differences in healthcare systems and cultural beliefs.
“In Scandinavian countries, for example, it is a part of people’s lifestyle to get screened. They get a letter from their general practitioner to go for scheduled screening.
“But in Singapore, patients have to be proactive about making an appointment to go for a mammogram,” he said.
Dr Choo Bok Ai, a member of the Breast Cancer Foundation’s (BCF) medical panel, said Singapore should aim to raise its breast cancer screening rates to above 50 per cent.
“This can lead to earlier detection and better survival outcomes for individuals at risk of breast cancer,” said Dr Choo, a senior consultant in radiation oncology at Icon Cancer Centre.
He added that more aggressive campaigning and new approaches are needed to raise screening rates, citing the BCF 2023 campaign that ropes in men to encourage the women in their lives to get checked.
Under the Health Promotion Board’s Screen for Life programme, breast cancer screening services are offered at selected polyclinics at these rates – $25 for the Pioneer Generation, $37.50 for the Merdeka Generation, $50 for Singaporeans and $75 for permanent residents.
