Cancer Screening

Cancer is the leading cause of death in Singapore. Adopting a healthy lifestyle routine as well as getting the appropriate vaccinations can reduce your risk of getting cancer. However, despite these measures, cancer may still occur and many cancers are often advanced and incurable by the time they cause symptoms.

Certain cancers are preventable while many others are treatable and curable, especially with effective treatment in the early stages. Cancer Screening helps to detect early signs of cancer or precancerous conditions before symptoms start to show. It is important to bear in mind that Cancer Screening goes hand in hand with healthy living and is not a replacement for it.

Benefits of Cancer Screening

Cancer Screening may allow some cancers to be detected in their early stages when they are still curable. When a cancer is detected early, the treatment may also be less aggressive. Less invasive treatment also means less costly medical bills and likely a shorter recovery time.

You are able to stay healthy and spend your time focusing on meaningful work and career, spending time with your loved ones, and looking forward to milestone celebrations in your life.

Downsides of Cancer Screening

As with all medical tests, Cancer Screening is not perfect. Sometimes a cancer may be missed (known as a false negative) and sometimes normal tissue may be mistakenly labelled as potentially cancerous (known as a false positive). The latter may result in unnecessary additional tests.

What Cancer Screenings should I undergo?

For the average risk person without symptoms (i.e. those without symptoms or family history of the cancer being screened for), the following Cancer Screening is recommended:

  • At the age of 50 and above,

    • Stool occult blood testing annually, or

    • Colonoscopy once every 10 years, or

    • CT colonography once every 5 years

  • For ladies have ever been sexually active, the following is appropriate:

    • From age 25-29: Pap smear every 3 years

    • From age 30 and above: Human Papillomavirus (HPV) test every 5 years

    A Pap smear tests for cancerous or abnormal cells at the cervix. HPV infection is responsible for up to 80% of cervical cancer, therefore testing for the presence of high-risk HPV can prevent its spread and help detect cancer early.

    Read more about Cervical Cancer Screening and HPV Vaccine.

    Cervical cancer is extremely rare in females who have never been sexually active, therefore routine screening in this group is not recommended.

  • The standard test for breast cancer screening is mammography. The following is recommended:

    • From age 40-49: Mammography screening once a year

    • From age 50-69: Mammography screening once every 2 years

  • The tests mentioned below are not officially recommended for routine cancer screening, but can be considered if you have additional risk factors such as family history.

    • Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and liver ultrasound: liver cancer

    • Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA): colorectal cancer

    • CA 19-9: pancreatic cancer

    • CA 125, transvaginal ultrasound: ovarian and uterine cancer

    • CA 15-3, breast MRI: breast cancer

    • Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA): prostate cancer

    • Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) EA-IgA: nasopharyngeal cancer

    • Beta Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (B-HCG): testicular cancer

    • Low-dose helical CT scan of the thorax: lung cancer

Get yourself screened against cancer today.

Speak to our doctor to find out more about which Cancer Screening tests are right for you.