https://www.scmp.com/rss/323509/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu Hong Kong hairstylist Pitt Cheung Kwok-wai’s life took a sharp turn in 2020 when he was diagnosed with stage 3 nasopharyngeal cancer at the age of 38. “We never had cancer or serious illness in our family before, so it was very shocking,” Cheung says. Having treatment during the Covid-19 pandemic made the experience even more isolating, as it was difficult for friends and family members to visit him in hospital as he underwent several rounds of chemotherapy. Due to its prevalence in southern... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349452/hong-kong-hairstylists-cancer-battle-takes-him-and-his-brother-crowdfunding-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3349452/hong-kong-hairstylists-cancer-battle-takes-him-and-his-brother-crowdfunding-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 04:15:07 +0000 Theodora Yu Theodora Yu Patients with advanced lung cancer who receive a certain therapy earlier in the day survive longer, a study has found, with a Hong Kong medical expert saying the discovery opens possibilities for optimal treatment times, although more research is needed. The study was led by academics from Hunan Cancer Hospital in mainland China and supported by the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s faculty of medicine. The research showed that immunochemotherapy administered before 3pm nearly doubled the length... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3342699/patients-given-more-hope-study-finds-best-time-lung-cancer-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3342699/patients-given-more-hope-study-finds-best-time-lung-cancer-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:40:33 +0000 Sasha Gonzales Sasha Gonzales Before her mastectomy, Christine Cosby joined a pilot prehabilitation programme designed for newly diagnosed cancer patients before starting treatment. She focused on building her fitness and upper-body strength with one goal in mind: a faster recovery. For the resident of Toronto, Canada, the physical work was a welcome distraction from “the coming scariness” of surgery. Cosby, a part-time artist and accountant, was one of 25 people that the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Kinesiology and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3342230/what-cancer-prehabilitation-how-patients-are-getting-head-start-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3342230/what-cancer-prehabilitation-how-patients-are-getting-head-start-recovery?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Feb 2026 04:45:37 +0000 Chloe Loung Chloe Loung Andrew Pong, a Hong Kong-based professional trainer, actor, martial artist and stuntman, wants other men to open up about their health, especially about cancers that affect men. Pong is the ambassador for the Hong Kong Cancer Fund’s new CheckMate initiative. Built around the slogan, “Don’t hide them, check them”, this campaign centres on encouraging regular self-examinations and medical check-ups for prostate, testicular and penile cancers. It also provides crucial emotional and support services... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3332280/hong-kong-cancer-funds-checkmate-scheme-aims-get-men-checking-themselves-and-talking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3332280/hong-kong-cancer-funds-checkmate-scheme-aims-get-men-checking-themselves-and-talking?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Nov 2025 11:15:08 +0000 Daniel Ren Daniel Ren Fosun Pharmaceutical, a leading healthcare group, has taken a substantial step towards introducing particle therapy systems to hospitals in mainland China, aligning with Beijing’s efforts to make advanced medical treatment accessible to cancer patients across the country. The Shanghai-based company, a subsidiary of China’s non-state-owned conglomerate Fosun International, formed a partnership with Leo Cancer Care on Thursday, pledging to distribute the UK firm’s Marie medical facilities in the... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3331824/fosun-brings-uk-particle-therapy-mainland-china-push-advanced-cancer-care?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3331824/fosun-brings-uk-particle-therapy-mainland-china-push-advanced-cancer-care?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Nov 2025 23:30:16 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft The University of Hong Kong has pioneered a first-of-its-kind clinical trial that integrates lipofilling surgical practices with breast conservation, providing a new solution for cancer patients that promises to improve their well-being post-operation. The preliminary findings released on Thursday by the university’s Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine also showed that breast cancer patients who underwent the procedure showed no signs of immediate surgical complications or recurrence of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3330930/hong-kong-pioneers-world-first-clinical-trial-breast-cancer-procedure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3330930/hong-kong-pioneers-world-first-clinical-trial-breast-cancer-procedure?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 11:02:12 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang BeOne Medicines, a global drug company that originated as a research and development firm in Beijing, plans to launch more cancer drugs in Hong Kong and expand production in Guangzhou to tap greater market opportunities arising from local drug-approval reforms two years ago. The company has brought three types of cancer medications to Hong Kong so far and intends to seek approval from local health authorities to cover additional medical indications by the end of this year. “The Guangzhou... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3330043/beone-medicines-bring-more-cancer-drugs-hong-kong-thanks-easier-approval-regime?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3330043/beone-medicines-bring-more-cancer-drugs-hong-kong-thanks-easier-approval-regime?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Oct 2025 23:30:09 +0000 Elizabeth Cheung Elizabeth Cheung Hong Kong liver cancer patient Mr Chan* said his tumour disappeared following a painless ultrasound treatment that felt similar to “taking a nap”. The 68-year-old retiree, who had been battling liver cancer since 2013, was among 26 patients who had received a histotripsy treatment conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong since April this year. “There was no pain at all. It was just like taking a nap,” Chan said. “I could be discharged the next day and lead a normal life afterwards. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3329813/hong-kongs-cuhk-eyes-wider-use-painless-liver-cancer-care-after-96-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3329813/hong-kongs-cuhk-eyes-wider-use-painless-liver-cancer-care-after-96-success?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Oct 2025 00:00:08 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Time Medical Systems, a Hong Kong maker of advanced medical devices co-founded by US-trained Chinese academics, is seeking a new site to expand production as it eyes a 30-fold increase in sales of its magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners in the next few years. The company is commercialising superconductor materials and magnet technologies that can slash the production and operating costs of such scanners while also cutting turnaround time, part of an effort to make early disease diagnosis... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3328747/hong-kong-mri-maker-time-medical-seeks-new-site-it-eyes-30-fold-sales-increase-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3328747/hong-kong-mri-maker-time-medical-seeks-new-site-it-eyes-30-fold-sales-increase-ipo?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 03:30:12 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Focused ultrasound (FUS) therapy, a sound wave treatment technology that counts Hong Kong’s tycoon Li Ka-shing among its backers, has reached an “inflection” point after 1 million patients worldwide adopted it as an alternative to surgery, radiation, drugs and other therapies, said the doctor who pioneered its use. One million patients had undergone FUS therapy since the technology was introduced six decades ago, including around 175,000 cases that involved liver tumours, according to data... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3328093/li-ka-shing-backed-focused-ultrasound-therapy-reaches-tipping-point-1-million-cases?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3328093/li-ka-shing-backed-focused-ultrasound-therapy-reaches-tipping-point-1-million-cases?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 23:30:08 +0000 Sasha Gonzales Sasha Gonzales Being diagnosed with cancer at a young age can stir up a range of emotions, from fear and anger to anxiety to sadness. May Yeung understands this well. In 2019, at just 30 years old, the Hong Kong-based artist was diagnosed with early-stage breast cancer after a year-long struggle with headaches, abdominal pain, cold sweats and fever. Yeung, who specialises in sculpture-making, was at the peak of her career; just three days before the diagnosis, she won a Hong Kong Top 10 Outstanding Young... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3328091/hong-kong-artist-breast-cancer-30-met-husband-during-treatment-became-mum-2023?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3328091/hong-kong-artist-breast-cancer-30-met-husband-during-treatment-became-mum-2023?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Oct 2025 03:00:07 +0000 Charmaine Yu Charmaine Yu October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and events are taking place in Hong Kong throughout the month to raise public awareness, promote its prevention and early diagnosis, and support those affected by the disease. Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in Hong Kong: about one in 14 women in Hong Kong will develop it in their lifetime. According to the Hong Kong Cancer Registry, breast cancer cases have been increasing over the past decade, rising from 3,920 new cases in 2015 to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3327956/8-pink-october-2025-events-hong-kong-help-raise-breast-cancer-awareness-and-funds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3327956/8-pink-october-2025-events-hong-kong-help-raise-breast-cancer-awareness-and-funds?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Oct 2025 04:12:52 +0000 Elizabeth Cheung Elizabeth Cheung Women diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age or at a more advanced stage have a higher risk of the disease spreading to other parts of the body upon recurrence, a Hong Kong study has found. Non-profit organisation the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation released its latest registry report on Monday and urged women to perform self-examinations monthly. The report included data from more than 26,000 patients diagnosed with breast cancer from 2006 onwards. Part of the report examined risk... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327254/spread-risk-higher-young-or-advanced-breast-cancer-cases-hong-kong-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3327254/spread-risk-higher-young-or-advanced-breast-cancer-cases-hong-kong-study?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Sep 2025 10:09:28 +0000 Kylie Knott Kylie Knott Sophie Chan’s bedroom is typical for a nine-year-old. The shelves are lined with books, games and soft toys, while a diffuser pumps out a lemon scent, her favourite fragrance. Her hobbies include drawing, playing the trumpet, singing and posting videos on her YouTube channel. She also loves hanging out with friends at school, where her favourite subjects are English, art and music. “I’ve also been a thrill-seeker since I was young,” she says, pulling out her phone to show a video that was taken... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3325937/hong-kong-girl-9-battles-leukaemia-youtube-videos-plush-toys-and-positivity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3325937/hong-kong-girl-9-battles-leukaemia-youtube-videos-plush-toys-and-positivity?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Sep 2025 03:00:12 +0000 Bhakti Mathur Bhakti Mathur Douglas Bray has overcome more challenges than most of us in the last four years. The Hong Kong business owner was diagnosed with a rare type of cancer in September 2021. Three months later, he and his wife separated. A few weeks after that, he was in a scooter accident and suffered a serious tear in the anterior cruciate ligament in his knee. Here is how, after hitting rock bottom, Bray took charge of his physical and mental health and underwent a transformation to compete in daunting athletic... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3324822/how-hong-kong-bone-cancer-survivor-overcame-illness-and-divorce-be-stronger-ever?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3324822/how-hong-kong-bone-cancer-survivor-overcame-illness-and-divorce-be-stronger-ever?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 03:00:08 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung The expected doubling of liver cancer patients worldwide by 2050 can be reversed with lifestyle changes and policy interventions, such as calorie labelling and increases in alcohol prices, according to Hong Kong scholars who led a global study. Professor Stephen Chan Lam from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) clinical oncology department, who co-led the study, said on Wednesday that 60 per cent of liver cancer cases were preventable, with a growing number caused by an unhealthy... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3323332/lifestyle-fixes-can-curb-doubling-liver-cancer-cases-2050-hong-kong-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3323332/lifestyle-fixes-can-curb-doubling-liver-cancer-cases-2050-hong-kong-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Aug 2025 08:43:51 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Hongkongers at a high risk of developing a common form of cancer should proactively get themselves screened as lung adenocarcinoma is often discovered at late stages, medical experts have warned, following a high-profile diagnosis of a local actor. On Wednesday, actor Will Or Wai-lam revealed in his social media post that he had been diagnosed with stage-four lung adenocarcinoma in May, which forced him to pull out of what was set to be his first theatre production. The actor’s confirmation of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3320538/hongkongers-lung-cancer-risk-urged-get-tested-after-actor-will-ors-diagnosis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3320538/hongkongers-lung-cancer-risk-urged-get-tested-after-actor-will-ors-diagnosis?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Aug 2025 09:47:10 +0000 Anthea Rowan Anthea Rowan Cancer doctor and researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee describes how surprised scientists were to discover DNA drifting freely in blood plasma almost 80 years ago. “The finding defied biological orthodoxy,” he writes in his Pulitzer Prize-winning 2010 book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer. “DNA was thought to remain locked inside the nuclei of cells, and not float around on its own. Stranger still, these weren’t whole genomes but broken pieces – genetic flotsam cast adrift from an... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3317825/how-tests-detect-cancer-dna-fragments-blood-can-kickstart-earlier-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3317825/how-tests-detect-cancer-dna-fragments-blood-can-kickstart-earlier-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 12 Jul 2025 09:15:07 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong health authorities will roll out the second phase of a free breast cancer screening programme next month under a pilot scheme that is expected to benefit thousands of women at high risk. The Department of Health said on Thursday that the three-year scheme, set to launch on June 10, would cover women aged 35 to 74 who either carried certain genetic mutations or had a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer. Dr Anne Chee, the department’s non-communicable disease head, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3312283/hong-kong-launch-second-phase-free-breast-cancer-screenings-june-10?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3312283/hong-kong-launch-second-phase-free-breast-cancer-screenings-june-10?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 May 2025 07:46:39 +0000 Sasha Gonzales Sasha Gonzales Hong Kong artist and freelance writer Helen Law was just 38 when she was diagnosed with stage-three colorectal cancer. She had been feeling tired and weak in the months leading up to the diagnosis, but was unaware that these were symptoms of cancer. “I thought I was just sleep deprived,” Law, now 49, says. “One day, after rushing to cross the street during my lunch break, I felt so out of breath that I had to sit and rest before walking back to my office.” She saw a doctor, who ordered a blood... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3309571/hong-kong-artists-colon-cancer-diagnosis-38-shows-growing-risk-it-among-young?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3309571/hong-kong-artists-colon-cancer-diagnosis-38-shows-growing-risk-it-among-young?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 May 2025 05:15:08 +0000 Hong Kong couple Ivy Ip, 45, and Kenneth Kwan, 52, had been married just four years in 2021 when they received life-changing news: Ip was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. She quickly underwent multiple rounds of chemotherapy and a 10-hour surgery – her first ever – to remove her uterus, ovaries, gallbladder, spleen and more. To the couple’s dismay, the cancer returned in a few months. Friends of Ip, a jewellery designer, knew how much she appreciated art. They recommended that she join... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3306095/how-cancer-patient-finds-strength-art-therapy-and-her-husband-draws-optimism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3306095/how-cancer-patient-finds-strength-art-therapy-and-her-husband-draws-optimism?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Apr 2025 23:45:07 +0000 Great minds blazing a trail: five women are leading the way in the realm of science. See our other features on Megan Lam, Florence Chan and Wendy Lam. Gina Jiang took an unconventional route to the top. The daughter of an orthopaedic surgeon and an oil painter, the 44-year-old Taiwanese-Canadian has a degree in general medicine from Peking University but chose not to be a medical doctor or clinical researcher. Instead, Jiang has built a 20-plus-year career finding ways to make new therapies... https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3301295/hong-kong-biotech-leader-forging-ahead-groundbreaking-cancer-therapies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/postmag/passions/article/3301295/hong-kong-biotech-leader-forging-ahead-groundbreaking-cancer-therapies?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Mar 2025 03:00:09 +0000 Elizabeth Cheung Elizabeth Cheung Retiree Li Chun underwent various treatments for lymphoma for nine years before a new “living drug” produced in Hong Kong finally made a difference. The cancerous tumours she had lived with for so long began clearing up after she received treatment under a Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) clinical trial last October. A big, painful tumour on her thigh was gone within a week. No active cancer cells showed up in her body scan done in mid February. “I don’t feel much pain and don’t have many... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3300757/quick-nice-great-5-cancer-patients-test-hong-kong-made-living-drug?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3300757/quick-nice-great-5-cancer-patients-test-hong-kong-made-living-drug?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Mar 2025 23:30:19 +0000 No woman I have ever met looks forward to getting a Pap smear, the standard test for cervical cancer. Asked whether they would rather see a dentist about a cavity, or a gynaecologist for a Pap smear, friends say they cannot decide which is less comfortable. Dr Lily Wong, a family doctor at The London Medical Clinic in Hong Kong, agrees that a “major barrier” to women getting Pap smears is the discomfort associated with the procedure. The Pap smear was developed by Dr Georgios Papanicolaou and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3297567/how-cervical-cancer-home-test-kits-can-end-pap-smear-pain-and-save-more-womens-lives?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3297567/how-cervical-cancer-home-test-kits-can-end-pap-smear-pain-and-save-more-womens-lives?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:15:20 +0000 Cycling has transformed and enriched the lives of Hong Kong retirees Jimmy Poon and Patrick Ho. It served as a lifeline for Poon in recovering from cancer treatment; for Ho, it was a lifesaver – he discovered a serious heart problem while riding that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Poon was 59 when he was diagnosed with stage IV rectal cancer in October, 2015. “I was shocked at the diagnosis. I had always been sporty and had been running regularly since my thirties,” says Poon, now 69, who... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3288505/how-does-cycling-benefit-mind-and-body-ask-these-hong-kong-riders-who-rode-back-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3288505/how-does-cycling-benefit-mind-and-body-ask-these-hong-kong-riders-who-rode-back-health?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Nov 2024 03:15:08 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Hong Kong medical centre operator Neo-Health Group aims to expand the use of an award-winning cell sampler for virus testing, which it co-developed with a government-backed research institute, to diagnosising skin diseases including cancer. The company plans to launch the device, called Nanoswab, early next year. It gathers cells to test for the presence of the human papilloma virus (HPV) in men. Developed along with Nano and Advanced Materials Institute (NAMI), it contains 1,000 micro-pillars... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-future-tech/biomedicine/article/3282542/hong-kong-health-tech-private-public-alliance-advances-male-hpv-testing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-future-tech/biomedicine/article/3282542/hong-kong-health-tech-private-public-alliance-advances-male-hpv-testing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Oct 2024 00:30:08 +0000 Eric Ng Eric Ng Lance Yuen, the new chief of CK Life Sciences International, is banking on his experience with global pharmaceutical giants to help the healthcare company bring drug candidates to the market and enhance its earnings outlook. Yuen, who last month became CEO at the firm controlled by Hong Kong tycoon Victor Li Tzar-kuoi, spent two decades in the region at US drug giant Bristol Myers Squibb and German biotechnology and pharmaceutical group Bayer. He sees himself as a “commercialisation expert... https://www.scmp.com/news/china-future-tech/biomedicine/article/3281575/ck-lifes-new-ceo-counts-big-pharma-experience-boost-new-drug-success-earnings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china-future-tech/biomedicine/article/3281575/ck-lifes-new-ceo-counts-big-pharma-experience-boost-new-drug-success-earnings?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Oct 2024 11:13:09 +0000 When she felt the small growth below her collarbone, Lipi Srivastava instantly knew something was amiss. The now 50-year-old Hong Kong HR professional and mother of two quickly booked an appointment with an oncologist and had a biopsy. It confirmed that she had stage 1 high-grade breast cancer. Srivastava remembers feeling numb upon hearing the diagnosis: “All I could think [about] was how I was going to tell my kids and my parents. How would they react?” That was in August 2021. At her... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3278231/how-art-helped-heal-breast-cancer-survivor-hit-hard-chemotherapy-side-effects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3278231/how-art-helped-heal-breast-cancer-survivor-hit-hard-chemotherapy-side-effects?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Sep 2024 03:15:08 +0000 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco kills up to half of smokers – unless they quit. Every year, more than 8 million people globally die from tobacco use. Each year, smoking also kills 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to the second-hand smoke of the smokers they live with. May 31 is World No Tobacco Day, which the WHO set up in 1987 to draw global attention to the tobacco epidemic and the preventable death and disease it causes. Tobacco was once considered a universal... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3264543/bad-news-about-smoking-and-good-news-8-million-die-tobacco-use-yearly-quitting-brings-lasting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3264543/bad-news-about-smoking-and-good-news-8-million-die-tobacco-use-yearly-quitting-brings-lasting?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 May 2024 20:15:08 +0000 American actress Olivia Munn, who has starred in Date Night, X-Men: Apocalypse and The Newsroom, credits her doctor for saving her life. Munn had a mammogram that was negative; moreover, a robotic test that checked for 90 cancer genes – including the BRCA mutation, which raises the risk for breast cancer – came back clear. But obstetrician and gynaecologist Thaïs Aliabadi, co-host of the podcast She MD, conducted a risk assessment for breast cancer on Munn anyway. The assessment suggested Munn... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3259862/how-actress-olivia-munns-life-was-saved-through-breast-cancer-risk-assessment-and-why-women-need?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3259862/how-actress-olivia-munns-life-was-saved-through-breast-cancer-risk-assessment-and-why-women-need?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 22 Apr 2024 10:15:12 +0000 When we received news of my mother-in-law’s brain tumour, we feared the worst. We were lucky; her tumour, discovered when she was in her late sixties, and which caused a loss of balance, was not cancer. When the doctor surgically removed it, he described the mass as very hard. This suggested it had been growing for a long time, he said, and drew an analogy with nature – “the older a tree, the harder the wood”. Surgery fixed her, and she ran out of years before the tumour ever became problematic... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3257050/how-spot-brain-tumour-symptoms-their-treatment-and-promising-advances-made-fight-against-brain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3257050/how-spot-brain-tumour-symptoms-their-treatment-and-promising-advances-made-fight-against-brain?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Mar 2024 20:15:13 +0000 Cancer and stroke patients can now get Western and Chinese medicine treatments at 26 Hong Kong public hospitals under a service expansion that also covers people with bone and muscle pain. The Hospital Authority on Thursday said the Integrated Chinese-Western Medicine Programme had been expanded from eight public hospitals to 26 in the first quarter of the year and covered 53 service points across the city. “We estimate that we can serve 30,000 patients a year,” Rowena Wong How-wan, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3255431/western-and-chinese-medicine-traditions-join-forces-more-hong-kong-hospitals-treat-cancer-strokes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3255431/western-and-chinese-medicine-traditions-join-forces-more-hong-kong-hospitals-treat-cancer-strokes?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 Mar 2024 15:45:37 +0000 A team of scientists in Hong Kong is on a quest to cure cancer by capturing cancerous cells spreading to other organs – a major cause of death from the disease. By uncovering the complex mechanisms behind this process, called metastasis, the researchers aimed to pave the way for new early detection tools and therapies, the lead cell biologist said. Lead researcher Alice Wong Sze-tsai, chair professor of the school of biological sciences at the University of Hong Kong, has been studying cancers... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3254900/hong-kong-scientists-aim-cure-ovarian-cancer-capturing-cells-spreading-other-organs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3254900/hong-kong-scientists-aim-cure-ovarian-cancer-capturing-cells-spreading-other-organs?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Mar 2024 07:00:14 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. I am writing in my role as a trustee of the Cypress Charitable Trust again, with a deep-seated commitment to enhancing the therapeutic landscape for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3253233/ensure-cancer-patients-access-more-therapy-options?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3253233/ensure-cancer-patients-access-more-therapy-options?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Feb 2024 03:30:11 +0000 When Chang Hsiu-yun was diagnosed with breast cancer in June 2022, she was “shocked” and “afraid”. “My mind went blank when the doctor broke the news to me. When reality set in, I thought, ‘Why is this happening to me?’ and ‘How will my cancer treatment work?’” says Chang, who was 51 at the time. The silver lining for Chang was that the cancer was in situ, which means that the cancer cells were confined to just one area and had not yet spread into the surrounding breast tissue. This early-stage... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3250447/how-deal-cancer-diagnosis-focus-treatment-options-stay-positive-doctor-says-survivor-advises-asking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3250447/how-deal-cancer-diagnosis-focus-treatment-options-stay-positive-doctor-says-survivor-advises-asking?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Feb 2024 08:15:08 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. I refer to the article, “Hong Kong’s transgender teens struggle with confusion and pain as specialised healthcare is for over-18s only” (June 25). I have become one of the patients of the Gender... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3246650/timely-medical-care-human-right-trans-or-not?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3246650/timely-medical-care-human-right-trans-or-not?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 Dec 2023 03:30:10 +0000 Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s medical faculty have found that artificial intelligence (AI) can help less experienced doctors better spot tumours during colonoscopies. AI was especially good at helping them identify smaller growths called adenomas, which might otherwise go undetected, Dr Louis Lau Ho-shing, an assistant professor of medicine and therapeutics, said. He added the team hoped use of AI would reduce the “miss rate” in spotting such lesions. In a traditional... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3246232/extra-pair-eyes-chinese-university-hong-kong-team-says-ai-helps-junior-doctors-better-spot-colon?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3246232/extra-pair-eyes-chinese-university-hong-kong-team-says-ai-helps-junior-doctors-better-spot-colon?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Dec 2023 23:00:13 +0000 Researchers at the University of Hong Kong have claimed to be the first in the world to prolong the life of a late-stage liver cancer patient by using a new treatment strategy that reduces the tumour to a state suitable for a transplant. The Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine announced on Wednesday that researchers had cured a 65-year old resident of stage-four liver cancer by first shrinking the tumour using a “reduce and remove” treatment they had developed. “There is actually no other effective... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3244983/hong-kong-researchers-claim-treatment-reducing-liver-cancer-tumours-worlds-first?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3244983/hong-kong-researchers-claim-treatment-reducing-liver-cancer-tumours-worlds-first?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 Dec 2023 14:55:45 +0000 If you were to come across 66-year-old Siriluck hiking with her dog in the hills of Sai Kung in Hong Kong, you would not imagine that this Thai native, brimming with energy, has been battling cancer for 16 years. Hong Kong has been her home for four decades. Now retired from the airline industry, the daily meditator and trained yoga teacher moves with grace and confidence. When a doctor first broke the news that she had breast cancer, Siriluck – who chose to use only her given name to protect... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3243458/how-fight-cancer-thai-buddhist-yogi-leans-alternative-therapies-accepting-conventional-ones-lengthy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3243458/how-fight-cancer-thai-buddhist-yogi-leans-alternative-therapies-accepting-conventional-ones-lengthy?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 Dec 2023 10:15:12 +0000 Two rare gene mutations identified among 4,900 breast and ovarian cancer patients and their family members will put carriers at higher risk of the disease, Hong Kong researchers have found. For the research, jointly led by the HKSH Medical Group, the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Hong Kong Hereditary Breast Cancer Family Registry, genetic tests have been carried out on breast and ovarian cancer patients and people at risk since 2007. “The latest technology allows us to look for more... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3241678/carriers-2-rare-gene-mutations-higher-risk-breast-and-ovarian-cancers-hong-kong-research-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3241678/carriers-2-rare-gene-mutations-higher-risk-breast-and-ovarian-cancers-hong-kong-research-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Nov 2023 13:32:32 +0000 A 28-year-old Hong Kong man diagnosed with terminal cancer has donated HK$800,000 (US$102,225) to a foundation helping young sufferers of the disease, saying they “deserve a happy childhood”. Gabriel Yeung Ka-piu, who has been battling stomach and liver cancer over the past year, said in a social media post on Thursday night that chemotherapy had been the most painful part of his journey, robbing him of “basic dignity as a human being as well as the ability to speak”. “At this moment, what I... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3238582/they-deserve-happy-childhood-hong-kong-terminal-cancer-patient-donates-hk800000-foundation-helping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3238582/they-deserve-happy-childhood-hong-kong-terminal-cancer-patient-donates-hk800000-foundation-helping?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Oct 2023 03:44:33 +0000 During a Covid-19 pandemic lockdown in March 2022, Ju Leung noticed a small lump in her left breast, and changes to its contour. Like so many others at the time, she had to wait to get a medical check-up. A mammogram performed a couple of months later confirmed she had a malignant tumour 6cm (2.4 inches) in diameter. She was diagnosed with Stage 3A breast cancer in August 2022. Although breast cancer runs in her family – both her mother and sister suffered from the disease – Leung was afraid and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3237794/breast-cancer-best-detected-early-mammograms-its-why-women-over-40-should-have-one-regularly?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3237794/breast-cancer-best-detected-early-mammograms-its-why-women-over-40-should-have-one-regularly?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Oct 2023 10:15:09 +0000 A Hong Kong company has said leukaemia patients will be able to receive a cancer treatment at a lower cost, after it became the first biotechnology firm in the city to receive a licence to locally produce the cells needed for the therapy. During a launch event on Tuesday, Xellera Therapeutics said it was aiming to make 200 to 250 cell and gene therapy products, which modified a patient’s genes to treat diseases, annually after operations started next year. The company said it would initially... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3237473/producing-cancer-therapy-cells-hong-kong-lower-treatment-cost-leukaemia-patients-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3237473/producing-cancer-therapy-cells-hong-kong-lower-treatment-cost-leukaemia-patients-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Oct 2023 11:51:11 +0000 Cancer patients can now receive subsidised Chinese acupuncture therapy at a Hong Kong public hospital as part of a pilot programme aiming to ease the side effects of oncology treatments. The Hospital Authority on Tuesday said the scheme integrating Chinese and Western medicine was launched at Princess Margaret Hospital this month and would be extended to Tuen Mun Hospital in October. Dr Fiona Lim Mei-ying, an oncology consultant at Princess Margaret Hospital, said the scheme was an extension of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3235892/pilot-scheme-offers-hong-kong-cancer-patients-public-hospital-subsidised-chinese-acupuncture-therapy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3235892/pilot-scheme-offers-hong-kong-cancer-patients-public-hospital-subsidised-chinese-acupuncture-therapy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 Sep 2023 13:44:41 +0000 A recent report suggests a significant number of people in Hong Kong have refused further treatment despite being warned of early signs of kidney disease. The Hong Kong Doctors’ Union, which provided the data, did not offer reasons for such a high refusal rate. Instead, the organisation urged the government to introduce subsidised screenings for kidney disease at private clinics. People refuse medical treatment for many reasons. Age, marital status, financial situation, family support, medical... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3234918/hong-kong-healthcare-needs-reform-remove-barriers-patients-seeking-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3234918/hong-kong-healthcare-needs-reform-remove-barriers-patients-seeking-treatment?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Sep 2023 01:30:08 +0000 A chemical compound in licorice, a herb commonly used in Chinese medicine, has proved effective in suppressing pancreatic cancer, a Hong Kong Baptist University study has found, paving the way for improved treatments against the “silent killer” disease. The research team behind the paper on Monday said isoliquiritigenin in licorice, or Gan Cao in Chinese, had lowered the survival rate of cancer cells in laboratory experiments, and resulted in fewer side effects compared with conventional... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3230243/licorice-compound-found-be-effective-suppressing-silent-killer-pancreatic-cancer-hong-kong-study?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3230243/licorice-compound-found-be-effective-suppressing-silent-killer-pancreatic-cancer-hong-kong-study?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Aug 2023 08:25:47 +0000 A private hospital has opened Hong Kong’s first proton therapy centre, offering cancer patients an alternative treatment promising higher precision and fewer side effects. The Hong Kong Sanatorium and Hospital (HKSH) said a woman with breast cancer was the first patient at its new centre in Shau Kei Wan last week. Professor William Wong Wai-ling, guest consultant for the treatment, said proton beams minimised the dose of radiation to healthy tissues unaffected by cancer better than X-ray... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3228627/hong-kong-hospital-opens-citys-first-proton-therapy-centre-offering-more-targeted-treatment-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3228627/hong-kong-hospital-opens-citys-first-proton-therapy-centre-offering-more-targeted-treatment-cancer?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Jul 2023 01:00:19 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification. I am writing to express my grave concern about the classification of Venetoclax as a self-financed item not covered by the safety net in the Hospital Authority Drug Formulary. As global oncology... https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3227758/cancer-drug-must-be-reclassified-help-less-fortunate-patients?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/letters/article/3227758/cancer-drug-must-be-reclassified-help-less-fortunate-patients?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Jul 2023 03:30:17 +0000 Chinese University has said a blood test created by its researchers in Hong Kong has been proven to be effective in detecting early nasopharyngeal cancer risk in asymptomatic patients, with those showing persistently positive test results 17 times more likely to get the disease later in life. The university’s research team on Tuesday also said its findings revealed that some of the “false positives” – those who showed positive results in an initial screening but did not have cancer – were... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3227337/blood-test-developed-hong-kong-researchers-can-detect-nasopharyngeal-cancer-risk-asymptomatic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3227337/blood-test-developed-hong-kong-researchers-can-detect-nasopharyngeal-cancer-risk-asymptomatic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 11 Jul 2023 12:12:33 +0000 The molecular biologist who pioneered non-invasive prenatal testing will launch a blood test kit with Hong Kong’s Prenetics Group to find the genetic material of cancer cells, a game-changing approach to detect one of humankind’s biggest killer diseases and propel the city’s role as a research and development hub for life sciences. Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Prenetics will establish a US$200 million venture called Insighta to provide clinically... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3225286/cuhks-dennis-lo-launches-blood-tests-prenetics-group-find-cancer-cells-liver-and-lungs-propelling?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3225286/cuhks-dennis-lo-launches-blood-tests-prenetics-group-find-cancer-cells-liver-and-lungs-propelling?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 26 Jun 2023 00:00:11 +0000