Common Cancers in Women

Different types of cancers tend to hit different categories of people. Knowing the risks and recognising the signs could be critical. This is the first of a four-part series looking at the common cancers that hit women, men, children and the elderly

Breast cancer

Don't be overly worried if you have abnormal growths in the breast; these are fairly common. It is only when cells have invaded or can invade surrounding tissue and spread to other parts of the body, that abnormal growths are considered cancerous. All women face the risk of breast cancer, especially when they pass the age of 40 – no matter what size your breasts are, or whether or not you have breastfed. Every day in Singapore, nearly three women on average are diagnosed with

Women face an increasing risk of breast cancer as they get older, with those between 55 and 59 years of age being the most vulnerable.

Symptoms
• Lump in armpit or breast
• Persistent rash around nipple
• Bleeding or unusual discharge from nipple
• Thickened or dimpled skin over breast
• Retracted nipple (pushed inwards instead of out)

Prognosis
Breast cancer is curable when it is detected early enough. This is when the tumour has not grown beyond 1 cm in diameter, and has not spread to other parts of the body.

Early detection and improved treatment are helping more women than ever survive the disease.

In the past decade, many new anti-cancer hormones and 'targeted chemotherapy' have emerged. Known as designer drugs, these new forms of medication and chemotherapy drugs target specific 'receptors' that cause breast cancer to grow, such as those found on the lining of the cancer cells which 'turn on' the growth of cancer cells.  

Colorectal cancer

This cancer can affect either the colon, the first part of the large bowel; the rectum, the final part of the large bowel; or both.

The cancer can start out as benign growths on the inner lining of the colon or rectum. Known as polyps, they are non-cancerous, but can turn cancerous in five to 15 years.

The polyps can be detected through colonoscopy, in which a flexible tube with a camera is inserted into the colon through the anus.

If you have a personal or family history of ovarian, uterine or breast cancer, you may be at a higher risk of colorectal cancer. If so, you should go for a screening five to 10 years before the age at which your family member had colon cancer. If your mother had colon cancer at 35, for instance, you should go for screening when you are 25 to 30 years old.

High-risk women may even want to consider genetic testing, which will help determine the risk of familial colorectal cancer.

In Singapore, colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer in women after breast cancer. It hits about one in 30 women.

Symptoms
• Change in bowel habits
• Feeling that your bowel has not emptied completely
• Blood in stool
• Stool that is narrower than normal
• Gas pains, cramps or bloatedness
• Unexplained weight loss
• Constant fatigue
• Nausea or vomiting 

Prognosis
If a colon cancer patient is diagnosed when the cancer is at stage 1 – that is, the tumour has not grown through the colon – she has a very high chance of being cured.

Some 93 per cent of patients can be cured with surgery, if they are diagnosed early. Early treatment has helped lead to lower death rates.  

Doctors are continually trying to determine the best combination of chemotherapy drugs in their battle against colon cancer.

With continuing research on finding out which drugs have the best effect on colorectal cancers, doctor will be increasingly able to know for sure which chemotherapy drugs to prescribe. Thanks to developing technology, increasingly intricate cancer scans are also emerging, which help doctors to make a more accurate diagnosis.

The best protection you can get against colon cancer is to go for regular screening, as it is curable if diagnosed early enough. Doctors recommend going for a colonoscopy every three years.

Lung cancer

There are two types of lung cancer: primary and secondary. Primary lung cancer starts in the lungs, whereas secondary lung cancer spreads from other parts of the body to the lungs.

Smoking is the main cause for most cases of primary lung cancer.

Every year in Singapore, 16 out of 100,000 women are diagnosed with lung cancer. Of these, one out of five do not smoke.

Symptoms
• Cough lasting for more than two weeks
• Chest or back pain
• Blood in sputum, a change of colour, or more sputum
• Repeated bouts of pneumonia or bronchitis
• Fatigue and loss of appetite
• Swelling in the neck or face

Prognosis
Women who get lung cancer tend to survive longer than men and respond better to some types of therapy.

The emergence of microsurgery has improved care and treatment, especially for women who are older and more frail.