Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation (HKBCF) yesterday announced that city's first data bank for breast cancer patients would be launched in January next year.

Speaking about the foundation's plans, Polly Cheung, founder of HKBCF, a non-government charitable organization, said the breast cancer data bank would supplement Hospital Authority's central registry.

While the central registry only records incidence and mortality of the disease, the breast cancer registry would identify individual risk factors for each case, she said.

The additional information would help patients and doctors understand to what extent would personal lifestyle and stress level contribute to breast cancer, she said.

Besides identifying risk factors, the breast cancer registry would also keep track of disease and treatment trends, she said.

To help patients recover, the foundation would give follow-up support services to each cancer patient in the breast cancer registry for 10 years, she said.

Keeping different registries, a common practice in the west, could make Hong Kong's breast cancer data more complete, she said.

A complete breast cancer database is important for Hong Kong's population, she said, as it could help early detection and planning for effective cancer control.

The foundation would work closely with the Hospital Authority, which supports setting up the breast cancer registry, to enhance health care services in Hong Kong, she added.

She also noted that after getting patients' consent to participate in the breast cancer registry, they would contact the patient's attending doctor and collect information.

From January next year the breast cancer data bank will record new breast cancer cases dating back to 2006.

HKBCF aims to keep 25 per cent of new cases each year and publish a first report in December 2008.

Cheung said breast cancer had spread quickly for the past ten years in Hong Kong.

According to central registry, the number of cancer cases in Hong Kong had doubled from 1,000 in 1994 to 2,272 in 2004, she said.

"Increasing at 6.4 percent each year, breast cancer is the fastest-growing cancer in Hong Kong. The incidence of breast cancer among Hong Kong women is the highest," she said.

Doris Kwan, breast cancer survivor and Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation's former chairman said the breast cancer registry could help patients understand more about their condition.

She urged all women to go for regular yearly breast checkup when they reach 40.

(HK Edition 11/29/2007 page6)