Amy Wu

Opinion | Asia’s fight against breast cancer can be boosted by innovation and outreach

While breast cancer remains a leading killer when it comes to Asian women, the good news is that innovation, such as using AI for detection, is fast emerging

However, the stigma attached to cancer in the region makes outreach challenging. We need more survivors to share stories, and greater awareness and education

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People attend a Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation awareness walk on October 10, 2016, in the Mid-Levels, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Tsang

Amy Wu

Published: 9:15am, 30 Sep 2022

I am getting ready to make a toast. Next year, I mark the 10th anniversary of my breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. When I was diagnosed, I was working and based in Hong Kong, in my late 30s, and with no history of breast cancer in the family. I swam daily, had a vibrant social circle, ate a lot of greens, with my main weakness being chocolate.

Upon reflection, my age was a roadblock. My doctor at the time said, when I insisted on a mammogram: “You’re young, you’re in great shape, it’s got to be fibroids.” I believe my sixth sense saved my life. Simply put, I didn’t believe what I was told.

But not everyone is as fortunate. Breast cancer remains a leading killer when it comes to Asian women. In Hong Kong, it is the third leading cause of cancer deaths among females and makes up 12.2 per cent of all cancer fatalities in women, according to Hong Kong’s Department of Health. It is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths and the most common cancer among women in mainland China, according to the latest available data.

Cancer Biology and Medicine, a research journal, noted that the incidence of and deaths from breast cancer continue to rise in China. “There are no signs that this trend will stop by 2030, particularly in rural areas. Effective breast cancer prevention strategies are therefore urgently needed in China,” it said.

Asia made up 43.6 per cent of the more than 2 million breast cancer cases globally in 2018, according to the World Health Organization. Among Asian-American women, it is the leading cause of cancer death.

Breast cancer, even when detected and treated, can re-emerge and sometimes reappears in other areas of the body such as the spine and brain. In recent years, I’ve lost several friends in their 30s and 40s to breast cancer recurrence.