Breast cancer: More options for younger women to be screened or get advice

Associate Professor Lim Geok Hoon, an oncoplastic breast surgeon, and Shermin Shu, a breast cancer patient and muay thai practitioner, are both fighting breast cancer in their own way.

ST PHOTOS: NG SOR LUAN, JASON QUAH

Published Oct 03, 2026, 08:55 AM

Updated Oct 03, 2026, 10:25 AM

Breast cancer is increasingly affecting younger women in Singapore, prompting new initiatives for early screening starting at age 40, including free mammograms at the Singapore Cancer Society and mobile services.

A partnership between Manulife Singapore, Breast Cancer Foundation and Parkway Radiology offers free teleconsultations and mammograms via the MammoXpress Bus to improve accessibility and awareness.

Early detection greatly improves survival rates, but fear and misconceptions hinder screening; experts urge regular mammograms and education, highlighting stories of a surgeon and a patient fighting breast cancer.

SINGAPORE – As breast cancer becomes more common among younger women, two new initiatives hope to help them get screened early.

More than 2,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year. One in six is younger than 45 years old, while about one in 10 is below age 40.

The Singapore Cancer Society is now offering free mammograms to eligible women aged 40 and up at its SCS Clinic @ Bishan. They must hold Chas orange or blue cards and can register at str.sg/CsuV

Previously, women had to be aged 50 and up to register.

The social service agency’s initiative in September brings it in line with updated breast cancer screening recommendations by the Screening Test Review Committee earlier in 2026.

The Ministry of Health -appointed committee now recommends annual screening for women aged 40 to 49 with normal risk and no symptoms, and every other year for those between 50 and 74.

Separately, insurer Manulife Singapore, the Breast Cancer Foundation (BCF) and Parkway Radiology have come together in a three-year partnership to offer free teleconsultations and mammogram screenings in the MammoXpress Mammography Bus.

Women aged 40 and up can book at str.sg/ocgS5 and the list of MammoXpress roadshows will be regularly updated at str.sg/NPr2

Mammograms are generally not recommended to women below 40 as their breast tissue tends to be denser, making the images difficult to interpret. They can book a free teleconsultation with a doctor, who can assess their individual risk factors and advise on the next steps.

Jacob Soo, BCF’s chief executive, says the partnership aims to bring health conversations closer to where women live, work and study, “particularly to younger women and communities who may not see breast cancer screening as relevant or accessible to them”.

The foundation’s 2025 report, A Study In Pink: Young Women And Breast Cancer, found that nine in 10 young women are not taking active steps for their breast health, such as doing monthly breast self-examinations. It polled 800 women in Singapore aged between 18 and 40.

Priyanka Rajendram, clinical head of cancer prevention and control at the SCS, says fear is the biggest barrier.

“At our SCS Clinic @ Bishan, women sometimes tell us, ‘I’m scared because my friend said it’s painful’, or question whether screening works after hearing anecdotal stories of someone being diagnosed despite regular mammograms,” she says.

“We also see misconceptions that regular breast self-examination replaces mammograms or that women without a family history are unlikely to develop breast cancer.”

The success rate for treating breast cancer varies according to factors such as the type of cancer and age at diagnosis , says Lim Geok Hoon, an associate professor who is head and senior consultant of the KK Breast Department at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital.

But those diagnosed early tend to have a better prognosis. The five-year survival rate is 99% for Stage 1 and 93% for Stage 2.

It drops to 31.9% for Stage 4, says Lim.

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, The Straits Times puts the spotlight on two warriors fighting the disease on different fronts – Lim, the oncoplastic breast surgeon, and Shermin Shu, a patient and muay thai practitioner using her social media accounts to spread awareness and positivity.

Stephanie Yeo is senior correspondent at The Straits Times’ Life section.

Health and well-being

肿瘤整形乳腺外科医生林玉勋副教授和乳腺癌患者兼泰拳练习者舒雪敏都在以自己的方式与乳腺癌作斗争。

ST 照片：NG SOR Luan、Jason Quah

发布于 2026 年 10 月 3 日上午 8:55

更新于2026年10月3日上午10:25

乳腺癌在新加坡越来越影响年轻女性，促使新加坡政府推出新的早期筛查举措，从 40 岁开始，包括新加坡癌症协会提供的免费乳房 X 光检查和移动服务。

新加坡宏利金融、乳腺癌基金会和百汇放射科合作，通过 MammoXpress Bus 提供免费远程咨询和乳房 X 光检查，以提高可及性和公众意识。

早期发现能大大提高生存率，但恐惧和误解阻碍了筛查；专家敦促定期进行乳房X光检查和教育，并重点讲述了一位外科医生和一位患者与乳腺癌作斗争的故事。

新加坡——随着乳腺癌在年轻女性中越来越常见，两项新举措旨在帮助她们及早进行筛查。

每年有超过2000名女性被诊断出患有乳腺癌。其中六分之一的患者年龄在45岁以下，而大约十分之一的患者年龄在40岁以下。

新加坡癌症协会现于碧山诊所为40岁及以上符合条件的女性提供免费乳房X光检查。她们必须持有Chas橙色或蓝色卡，并可在str.sg/CsuV网站注册。

以前，女性必须年满 50 岁才能登记。

该社会服务机构在 9 月份推出的举措使其与筛查测试审查委员会在 2026 年初更新的乳腺癌筛查建议保持一致。

卫生部任命的委员会现在建议，40 至 49 岁风险正常且无症状的女性每年进行一次筛查，50 至 74 岁的女性每两年进行一次筛查。

另外，新加坡宏利保险公司、乳腺癌基金会 (BCF) 和百汇放射科携手合作，开展为期三年的合作，在 MammoXpress 乳腺摄影巴士上提供免费的远程咨询和乳腺X光检查。

40岁及以上的女性可通过str.sg/ocgS5进行预约，MammoXpress巡回活动列表将定期在str.sg/NPr2更新。

一般不建议40岁以下的女性进行乳房X光检查，因为她们的乳腺组织往往较为致密，导致图像难以解读。她们可以预约与医生进行免费远程咨询，医生可以评估她们的个人风险因素并提供后续建议。

BCF 首席执行官 Jacob Soo 表示，此次合作旨在让健康对话更贴近女性的生活、工作和学习场所，“特别是对于可能认为乳腺癌筛查与她们无关或难以获得的年轻女性和社区”。

该基金会发布的2025年报告《粉红研究：年轻女性与乳腺癌》发现，十分之九的年轻女性没有采取积极措施来维护乳房健康，例如每月进行乳房自检。该报告调查了新加坡800名年龄在18至40岁之间的女性。

SCS癌症预防和控制临床负责人Priyanka Rajendram表示，恐惧是最大的障碍。

“在我们碧山的SCS诊所，女性有时会告诉我们，‘我很害怕，因为我的朋友说这很痛苦’，或者在听到一些尽管定期进行乳房X光检查仍然被诊断出患有乳腺癌的轶事后，质疑筛查是否有效，”她说。

“我们还发现一些误解，认为定期乳房自检可以代替乳房X光检查，或者认为没有家族病史的女性不太可能患乳腺癌。”

韩国竹脚妇幼医院竹脚乳腺科主任兼高级顾问、副教授林玉勋表示，乳腺癌的治疗成功率因癌症类型和确诊年龄等因素而异。

但早期诊断的患者预后往往更好。I期患者的五年生存率为99%，II期患者的五年生存率为93%。

林表示，第四阶段的比例将降至 31.9%。

在今年的乳腺癌宣传月，《海峡时报》将目光聚焦于两位在不同战线上与乳腺癌作斗争的勇士——肿瘤整形乳房外科医生林女士，以及利用社交媒体账号传播乳腺癌知识和积极信息的泰拳患者兼练习者舒雪敏女士。

Stephanie Yeo是《海峡时报》生活版的高级记者。

健康与福祉