Call for universal breast cancer screening in Hong Kong as study shows most cases are not hereditary
The Breast Cancer Foundation study found that most of the causes of breast cancer were lifestyle-based, and therefore the government should consider population-wide screening
A study of more than 16,000 Hong Kong breast cancer patients has found that only one in seven had a family history of the disease, while another study of close to 3,000 women found only one in 10 had a gene mutation that points to a higher risk of breast or ovarian cancer.
The Breast Cancer Foundation, highlighting the findings on Thursday, said this made clear that the vast majority of breast cancer cases in the city were not hereditary, underscoring the importance and need for universal screening.
But experts remain divided on the need for widespread mammograms, with a government working group of doctors concluding in June that it was “unclear whether population-based breast cancer screening did more harm than good”.
They cited risks such as exposure to low-dose radiation and false positive diagnoses that can lead to unnecessary surgery.
The foundation’s study pointed to how 42.4 per cent of patients surveyed were diagnosed only when they had Stage 2 cancer, which required more invasive and expensive treatment.