The Family Against Cancer Carnival

26 Aug 2006

By Mr Heng Chee How

Venue: Orchard Youth Park, Somerset Road

Mr Bernard Chen,

Chairman of Singapore Health Services

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning.

Thank you for the invitation to officiate at your opening ceremony of the Family Against Cancer Carnival. I would like to commend National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) and its partners for its bold efforts in reaching out with the message that every family member is vulnerable to cancer and each has a role to play in cancer prevention.

Threat of Cancer

Cancer is the top killer in Singapore, accounting for almost 30% of all deaths. It has been the leading cause of death since 1991. From 1998 to 2002, more than 38,000 Singapore residents were diagnosed with cancer. This averaged to close to 8,000 new cases of cancer per year. These numbers will continue to rise, especially with our aging population. Worldwide too, cancer remains one of the top killers. According to the World Health Organisation's Cancer Control and Surveillance Unit, it is estimated that by 2020, there will be more than 16 million new cancer cases and 10 million cancer deaths annually.

Family Against Cancer

Against these sobering statistics, the theme, 'Family Against Cancer' is a timely reminder that the battle against cancer needs to be fought on 2 levels - the national level and the individual one. On a national level, I am pleased to note that several organisations and societies have joined forces with the NCCS to co-organise this carnival. Singapore Cancer Society, Breast Cancer Foundation, Children's Cancer Foundation and the Health Promotion Board, have all been active in the promotion of cancer prevention.

However, there is only so much the government, healthcare institutions and volunteer communities can do - I want to stress that the responsibility for cancer awareness and prevention rests with each and every one of us and our families.

In generating cancer awareness we should not only concentrate our efforts at those at higher risks. Knowledge about cancer should not be age-bound. By reaching out to our children, we are helping them start the fight against cancer early. Indeed, it is never too young to start learning about cancer and developing preventive habits - these habits are nothing new - eat healthily, exercise regularly, don't smoke.

We as adults and parents must set good examples - do we go for regular screening at the appropriate intervals? Ladies in the audience, if you are over 50 do you go for a mammogram every 2 years? Talk to your daughters about going for regular mammograms and Pap smears - or, daughters, talk to your mums and encourage them to get screened. We know that early detection of breast and cervical cancers can save lives.

Increased survival through prevention and education

Cancer death rates for many common cancers have declined in countries like the United States. Although this decline is partly due to improved therapy, it is also due to public education and community efforts. For example, studies have shown that the drop in lung cancer mortality is due to the decline in tobacco smoking. As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. Focusing on cancer treatments alone is not enough.

Congratulations to the National Cancer Centre for organising this carnival and enlisting cooperation from all sectors of the community.

I wish you all an enjoyable and enriching time.

Thank you.