CANCER SCREENING PROGRAMMES IN SINGAPORE

NOTICE PAPER NO. 567

NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER

FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 3 MARCH 2026

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament

Mr Vikram Nair

MP for Sembawang GRC

Question No. 1670

To ask the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health given the rising incidence of cancer detection in Singapore, whether there are plans to increase the availability and uptake of screening for common types of cancer in Singapore, such as lung, liver and prostate cancer.

Answer

1        Uptake of cancer screening is a matter of health habits, which take time to evolve. Under Healthier SG, regular screening for common cancers such as breast, cervical and colorectal cancer is recommended and heavily subsidised, and we hope it will shape positive changes to health seeking habits over time.

2        As for screening for lung and liver cancer, it is only recommended for high-risk individuals. As such cancers are less common in the general population, and there are limitations in the accuracy of screening tests, general population screening has lower yield compared to more targeted screening and can lead to many false positive results, requiring further investigations and causing unnecessary anxiety.

3        In addition, to address the burden of disease of cancer, MOH has been promoting healthier lifestyles, for example, not smoking, limiting alcohol consumption, healthy diets and physical activity, all of which are modifiable risk factors for cancer.