Breast cancer, considered as the most common form of cancer among women in Hong Kong, continues to strike thousands of victims and take hundreds of lives each year - 702 in 2016 compared with 637 in 2015.
However, due to the growing problems that breast cancer is causing, the government has commissioned the first local study on breast cancer risk to help determine whether women should have access to universal screening by mammography.
Furthermore, a campaign has been pushed through in Hong Kong, spearheaded by Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor.
Breast Cancer Awareness
Breast cancer is rising in Hong Kong but, according to a spokesman for the Food and Health Bureau, there are still important gaps in evidence to support universal screening strategies for non-Western women. He also stated that there was need to identify local risk factors and develop a screening model for asymptomatic women or those assessed as being at average risk.
In fact, experts around the world are divided on the benefits of more screenings and the ideal age for them. Concerns include the risk of wrong diagnosis, unnecessary anxiety and financial pressure.
In addition, the chief executive touched on the topic last week, March 8, 2018, as the city marked International Women's Day. She addressed guests at a ceremony to open a new breast health center in Wong Tai Sin with the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation.
"There is a need for the government and the medical sector to conduct more research and collect more data, in order to explore whether it is appropriate to implement universal breast cancer screening for asymptomatic women or those at average risk," Lam said.
