Breast cancer is the number 1 cancer affecting women globally and in Singapore. It is considered to be the final outcome of multiple environmental and hereditary factors.

While surgery remains the mainstay for breast cancer treatment, breast cancer patients who need to undergo mastectomy often have to bear with the emotional and physical trauma of losing one’s breast(s).

Raffles Hospital offers immediate reconstruction surgery that is done at the same time as the mastectomy, when the entire breast is removed. A benefit of immediate reconstruction, explained Prof Walter Tan, Plastic Surgeon and General Surgeon, Raffles Surgery Centre, is that chest tissues are undamaged by radiation therapy or scarring. Also, immediate reconstruction means one less surgery, which results in cost savings. Most importantly, it is psychologically less traumatising for patients as they need not undergo a period of loss.

Risk Factors for Breast Cancer

• Age, race
• Individual or family history of breast cancer
• Individual history of ovarian cancer
• Genetic predisposition
• Estrogen exposure
• Abnormal proliferation of cells in the breast
• Lifestyle factors: obesity, lack of exercise, alcohol use
• Radiation exposure

Breast Cancer Symptoms

• New lumps or thickening in the breast or under the arm
• Nipple tenderness, discharge, or physical changes
• Skin irritation or changes Warm, red, swollen breast with a rash resembling the skin of an orange
• Pain in the breast (usually not a symptom of breast cancer, but should be reported to a doctor)
• No visible or obvious symptoms (asymptomatic)

Screening Tests

• Mammography
• Ultrasound
• MRI scan
• Biopsy to confirm a diagnosis
• Blood tests to determine if the cancer has spread outside the breast
• Additional tests may be used to determine stage

Breast cancer is not just a woman's problem

Some people may think breast cancer is something that only affects women.

However according to Prof Tan, “men can also get breast cancer though it is one hundred times more frequent among women than men. The prognosis in males with breast cancer however, is generally worse than in females. This is because of the small size of the male breast and the tendency of the cancer to spread beyond the breast more easily.”