Hong Kong will launch the second phase of its Breast Cancer Screening Pilot Programme (BCSPP) on June 10 to provide subsidized breast cancer screening services to the city’s female residents aged 35 to 74 who are at high risk of developing breast cancer.

“The goal is to enhance the recovery rate of breast cancer patients through early detection and treatment,” said the Department of Health.

Women “at high risk of developing breast cancer” refers to female carriers of certain gene mutations, or women with a strong family history of breast cancer or ovarian cancer, Dr Anne Chee, head of the Centre for Health Protection Non-Communicable Disease Branch, said at a press conference on Thursday.

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Participants in the pilot program must be holders of a Hong Kong Identity Card or Certificate of Exemption and registered in the Electronic Health Record Sharing System (eHealth).

Phase II of the scheme provides services through public-private partnership programs, in collaboration with three non-governmental organizations – Hong Kong Breast Cancer Foundation, United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service, and Haven of Hope Christian Service.

Starting Friday, eligible women may contact any one of the designated clinics to make an appointment for assessment and arrange for mammography (MMG) screening on or after June 10. Additional ultrasound screening will be arranged for those who are confirmed to carry specific genetic mutations.

To encourage high-risk individuals to undergo screening, the special administrative region government is providing a high level of subsidy under Phase II of the pilot. Service providers may only charge patients a co-payment of not more than HK$225 for each MMG or ultrasound breast examination.

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“We appeal to all the eligible women who are between the ages of 35 and 74, and in case you are at high risk of developing breast cancer, please make an appointment early, come forward to our non-governmental organizations, and receive breast cancer screening so that we can all benefit from this service,” said Dr Chee.

During the two-year BCSPP Phase I, 27,807 women received breast cancer risk assessments. Of them, 7,785 underwent MMG screening on referral, government data showed.

Among the women with abnormal MMG results who were referred to specialists for treatment, 409 cases were followed up in public hospitals, with 68 women confirmed to have breast cancer. Of the 68 breast cancer cases, 97 percent were at stage II or below.

Among females in Hong Kong, breast cancer is the most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer deaths. Over the past decade, the age-standardized incidence and age-standardized mortality rates of breast cancer have both increased.

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In 2022, there were 5,182 newly diagnosed invasive female breast cancer cases, accounting for 28.6 percent of all new cancer cases in women in Hong Kong. In 2023, the disease led to 834 deaths among women, accounting for 13.1 percent of female cancer deaths, according to Department of Health.