CUHK
News Centre

Being the number one cancer affecting women in Hong Kong, the number of breast cancer cases has been drastically increased from 852 in 1983 to 2,285 (including 12 males) in 2004. About 6.3 women are newly diagnosed with breast cancer each day. Many of them are actually of very young age. In the past two decades, a dramatic increase in breast cancer incidence has been found in major cities in South East Asia including Hong Kong. With recent breakthrough in multi-disciplinary translational research, breast cancer therapy has become the model of success for modern oncology treatment.

Professor Anthony Chan, Director of the Hong Kong Cancer Institute and Professor of Clinical Oncology at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), remarked that the Department of Clinical Oncology is responsible for the care of over 500 new cases of breast cancer seen at the multi-disciplinary unit at the Prince of Wales Hospital in 2006. Professor Chan believes this successful, integrative care model has enabled the delivery of evidence based treatment and improved quality of life for every patient. With the one-stop multi-disciplinary approach, patients do not need to attend separate clinics in different locations in order to receive consultation from surgeons, radiation and medical oncologists, which minimizes delay in applying appropriate therapy and facilitates implementation of international consensus into practice in a timely manner.

Dr. W.H. Kwan, Honorary Associate Professor of the Department of Clinical Oncology at CUHK, pointed out that future breast cancer treatment should be an individualized tailored therapy, moving from the maximal tolerated treatment towards minimal effective therapy. Advancement in the technique of gene expression profiling allows a new molecular classification of breast cancer which might be more predictive of the risk of relapse than the conventional histopathologic staging. Moreover, the gene signature of individual tumour predicts the likelihood of response to different therapies. Knowledge of the genetic make-up of individual breast cancer has also allowed the clinician to choose the most appropriate treatment for the high risk group while avoiding unnecessary therapy to those with a good outlook.

Professor Winnie Yeo, Professor of the Department of Clinical Oncology at CUHK, highlighted the modern approach in the management for breast cancer patients that incorporates the application of biological rationales. Endocrine therapy for breast cancer marked the first success for biologically rational therapy for this disease. Recent data established the definitive role of ERB2 targeting agents against ERB2 gene in breast cancers. Such targeted therapies are now recognized to be only a couple among the large numbers of potential agents currently under investigations. The ability to match the correct pharmacology to individual tumour genetic profiles may enable more effective treatment to be administered to patients in need, as well as avoiding therapies for those who do not benefit from them.

The Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation (HKBCF) advocates “Whole Cancer Care”. This is an extension of medical care to psychosocial support for breast cancer patients at the time of diagnosis, during treatment and recovery. Mrs. Joanna Choi, Chairman of the Foundation, emphasizes, “Support and care is one of our key missions. In order to provide breast cancer patients with a better understanding of the disease and methods of medical treatment, and to relieve their psychological distress, Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation not only delivers up-to-date related information to patients and their families through our web-site and educational talks, but also provides individual counseling and support group service run by health care professionals. We aim to alleviate the painful experience of breast cancer and help patients on their road to recovery.”

Dr. Rhoda Yuen, Co-chairman of Support Services Committee of HKBCF points out, “Breast cancer patients can contribute much to their recovery by learning to be more expressive of their emotions and telling their families how they would like to be supported. Most importantly, taking active steps to practise self-nurturing skills such as relaxation, meditation, and altering negative thoughts will help enhance quality of life in their living with cancer.”

The Cancer Patient Resource Center is committed to providing a full range of psychosocial services to cater for the diverse needs of cancer patients in the Prince of Wales Hospital at different phases (i.e. initial diagnosis, during treatment and after treatment) of their cancer treatment. A Psycho-social Screening Program for newly diagnosed breast cancer patients, which aims to identify patients with possible anxiety/ depression and to offer proactive individual clinical psychological service and social work service for them, have been launched since January 2006 and have by far served more than 400 breast cancer patients. The program has recently been re-packaged so as to integrate psychosocial screening, volunteer service, and individualized clinical psychological and social work service together such that patients could fully utilize different resources to enhance their optimal coping and adjustment throughout their treatment.

Department of Clinical Oncology and State Key Laboratory in Oncology in South China at Sir YK Pao Centre for Cancer at CUHK, together with the Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation, embrace the mission of promoting individualized and whole cancer care to breast cancer patients as well as recognizing the importance of integrating research, patient care and psychosocial needs of the patients. The 12th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Hong Kong Cancer Institute will therefore be jointly organized from 4 November to 5 November 2007. This symposium will bring together international and regional experts to share their knowledge and experiences in breast cancer management.