The KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) has acquired state-of-the-art technology that makes it easier to detect cancer and alerts doctors to tiny tumours they sometimes miss.
A digital mammogram machine and a computer-aided cancer detection device - the region's first - give the hospital an edge over other public sector breast cancer screening programmes.
Digital mammograms are better at spotting breast cancer than the conventional film method. The digital version can even detect early breast cancer in younger women whose breasts have fewer fat cells and are denser, making it difficult to spot tumours.
The computer-aided device helps identify possible problem areas.
Studies have shown that, with improved detection, digital mammograms can cut breast cancer deaths by up to 35 per cent in women aged 50 to 69 years and up to 20 per cent for those aged 40 to 49 years, said Dr David Springer, head of diagnostic imaging at KKH.
Its high-resolution images can be magnified for better assessment. This reduces errors that result in either wrong diagnoses of cancer, or failure to spot a tumour.
'We are convinced that, yes, we are definitely going to detect more cancers than the old way of using film,' said Dr Springer.
He added that the digital mammogram 'also causes less distress and discomfort to women'.
Patients do not have to pay extra for a digital mammogram. The cost is $112 for private patients and $52 for subsidised patients.
Breast cancer is the main cancer afflicting women here, with about 100 new cases diagnosed each month. Almost 300 women die of breast cancer here each year. But it is a highly treatable cancer, with 97 per cent chance of survival if caught early.
The equipment is part of KKH's vision to be the country's top centre in treating women's diseases. It now provides full treatment of breast cancer - from screening to surgery and chemotherapy.
The unit, started in July last year as part of the hospital's expansion beyond gynaecology treatments, now receives 40 new referrals for breast cancer a week.
Dr Hong Ga Sze, head of the Breast Centre, hopes to build up the unit to treat half the breast cancer cases in Singapore within five years.
Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan last year challenged the hospital - which faced lower demand for its services - to go beyond delivering babies and treating gynaecological problems.
Yesterday, after officially opening the Breast Centre, Mr Khaw said he was amazed at the speed with which KKH took up his idea and made it a reality.
Since it added breast cancer and cosmetic surgery to its services last year, occupancy at the 830-bed hospital has risen from 62 per cent in 2003 to 69 per cent last year.
KKH chief executive officer Dr Ivy Ng said the hospital is 'poised to set new standards of care for women in the region'.