The centre was established in 2003, aiming to provide one-stop full service on diagnosis, treatment and breast screening programmes.




Breast Cancer
» From 1990, breast cancer has overtaken lung cancer as the most common cancer among female in Hong Kong.
» Cases of breast cancer are on the increase
» In 2006, there were 2584 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in Hong Kong
» Although the breast cancer diagnosis rate has increased, the overall breast cancer death rate did not grow
» 406 women died of breast cancer (2003:431)
» One out of every twenty-two women gets breast cancer
　

	New Case	Death
Number of cases registered	2,584	463
Rank	1	3
Relative Frequency (%)	23.5	9.8
Median age (years)	51	58
Crude Rate	72.0	12.9
Age-standardized rate (World)	52.1	9.0
Cumulative life-time risk (0-74 yrs)	1 in 20	1 in 108

•The age standardized rate (World) is calculated based on the world standard population published in the 1997-99 World Health Statistics Annual, WHO.
• All rates are expressed per 100,000.

Risk Factors
While we do not yet know exactly what causes breast cancer, we do know that certain risk factors are linked to the disease:
» Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease.
» Not having children or had the first childbirth very late in life
» Women who began having periods early or who went through menopause later than average
» Have a bad habit of high-fat eating
» Tobacco smoking and alcohol drinking


Symptoms and Diagnosis
Breast cancers are usually silent at early stage. Some patients might experience the following changes: lump or swelling, skin irritation or dimpling, puckering of breast skin, nipple inversion or unusual discharge or bleeding from the nipples. Mammogram is an x-ray of the compressed breast, which helps early detection for breast cancer. As it can help detect 85 to 90% of all breast cancers, you will need to discuss with medical professionals for a clear diagnosis. Further investigation such as biopsy will be required if any abnormalities were found in the screening.

What should I do if I have a breast symptom or problem?
» Don't be paralyzed by fear of the unknown
» Contact a breast surgeon
» Diagnosis (clinical diagnosis, mammogram or ultrasound)
4 stage of breast cancer
First stage: The tumor is smaller than 2 centimeters and has not spread to the lymph nodes
Second stage: The tumor has spread to the lymph nodes and is larger than 2 centimeters
Third stage: The cancer may be found in the lymph nodes and the tumor is larger than 5 centimeters
Forth stage: The cancer has spread to other organs of the body

Primary Prevention
» Abstain from alcohol
» Avoid too much fat in diet
» Control body weight and have regular physical activity
» High intake of fruit and vegetables



Screening Method
The use of mammography is effective in diagnosing breast cancer early and thus in reducing mortality. Once a woman reaches 35, the chance of cancer increases even further. Screening mammography is recommended for women aged 35 or above. Even so, mammogram cannot detect all breast cancers. In dense breasts common in Chinese, many cancers can be obscured on mammography. Ultrasound imaging is supplementary to mammography by detecting small breast cancers that may not be visible with mammography.


Dr. Law Ka Bo Bonita
Director, Union Breast Centre