These days, it is not unusual for specialist breast cancer surgeon Dr Anthony Tang to see breast cancer patients in their thirties, or even in their twenties, with sizeable lumps.

Very recently, he treated a woman in her thirties with a 5cm lump which she had left unchecked for around two years. By the time she consulted him, the cancer had progressed to Stage 2, approaching Stage 3, he told CNA Women.

Early onset breast cancer – breast cancer occurring in women under the age of 45 – is on the rise, said Dr Tang, medical director of The Breast Clinic.

“But because of the perception that it is near impossible for young people to get breast cancer, very often, young women who feel a small lump in the breast may dismiss it,” Dr Tang noted.

This is why, in his practice, Dr Tang noted that early onset breast cancer is often detected at a slightly later stage – often in Stage 2 or 3.

EARLY ONSET BREAST CANCER IN SINGAPORE

A specialist breast cancer surgeon for over 20 years, Dr Tang said that in the past, most of his patients were post-menopausal, in their late fifties or sixties.

Today, one in six women who gets breast cancer is under the age of 45. The youngest patient Dr Tang has treated was only 22 years old.

Early onset breast cancer is often more aggressive, commonly presenting as triple-negative breast cancer or HER2-positive breast cancer, Dr Tang noted.

Cultural changes contribute to these numbers, he said.

"Having children before the age of 35, breastfeeding, and having more children can lower the risk of breast cancer,” he explained. However, more Singapore women are having fewer children, giving birth at a later ageluck9, and opting not to breastfeed.

Giving birth at a later age, having fewer kids and not breastfeeding are factors linked to early onset breast cancer in Singapore women. (Photo: iStock/Kong Ding Chek)

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