On 1 October 2024, leading experts, policymakers, professionals and advocates gathered for the Policy and Practice Roundtable on Breast and Lung Health in Singapore at the Ng Teng Fong Centre for Healthcare Innovation.
This roundtable was organised by the Digital Health Society of South East Asia, in collaboration with Precision Public Health Asia Society and the Society of Behavioural Health, Singapore, and held in conjunction with Breast Cancer Awareness Month in Singapore. The roundtable explored the evolving landscape of breast and lung health through the lens of population health, digital health transformation, and behavioral health science.
A Gathering of Minds: Bridging Policy and Practice
The roundtable fostered dialogue among healthcare professionals, policymakers,
researchers, and patient advocacy groups. The objective? To close the practice-
policy gap, ensuring that health systems keep pace with advances in evidence,
technology, and clinical practices.
There was a collective emphasis on the urgent need for innovative, collaborative
strategies to address both breast cancer and lung cancer, which contributes a high
disease burden and public health challenge, both globally and locally.
Highlights of the Event
Population Health: A New Lens for Breast and Lung Health. Participants delved into national trends, highlighting the urgent need for targeted strategies:
Rising Breast Cancer Rates: Increasing diagnoses, particularly among younger women, underscore the necessity for enhanced public awareness and innovative screening methods.
Evolving Lung Cancer Epidemiology: With a significant proportion of cases emerging in non-smokers, traditional screening models may no longer suffice.
A key takeaway was the importance of adopting risk-based and stratified screening approaches tailored to high-risk populations, integrating personal and familial risk factors.
Harnessing Digital Health Advances for Precision and Scale. Digital health technologies have the potential to be game-changers:
Artificial Intelligence (AI): Transforming diagnostics through enhanced imaging and personalized risk prediction, though challenges like false positives and incidental findings remain.
Personalized Insights: Data integration across an individual’s health journey - "one patient, one digital fingerprint" - is paving the way for bespoke health recommendations.
These advancements hold the promise of revolutionizing cancer screening and care while emphasising the need for systemic adoption and robust data frameworks.
Behavioural Science: Driving Preventive Care. Behavioural science was positioned as a cornerstone for improving screening uptake and outcomes:
Overcoming Barriers: Misconceptions, financial constraints, and cultural stigma continue to deter participation in screening programmes.
Engagement Strategies: Community-led initiatives, culturally sensitive messaging, and the involvement of general practitioners were highlighted as critical pathways to increasing public awareness and participation.
Participants also noted the importance of psychosocial support, emphasizing a holistic approach to cancer care that considers both mental and physical health.
Key Takeaways and the Path Forward
The roundtable concluded with a collective call to action:
Integrated Health Policies: Policies must align with technological and clinical advancements, supporting risk-based screening frameworks.
Enhanced Data Utilization: Leveraging national initiatives like Healthier SG for precise, actionable health insights.
Community Empowerment: Engaging diverse populations through tailored communication and support systems.
Sustainable Investment: Developing infrastructure and training for emerging technologies to ensure equitable access.
Why This Matters
With breast and lung cancer being major contributors to Singapore’s disease burden,
this roundtable highlighted critical gaps and actionable strategies to improve health
outcomes. It was a clarion call for stakeholders across sectors to collaborate,
innovate, and prioritize preventive care.
Explore the Full Report
To dive deeper into the insights and strategies discussed at the roundtable, download the full meeting report to read more about the expert recommendations, and pathways to a healthier Singapore.
DOWNLOAD THE FULL REPORT
Let us come together and commit to shaping a future where every individual has access to the care they need. Join the movement - together, we can transform breast health and lung health in Singapore and beyond.
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