An overview of the cancer control programme in Singapore

Singapore is a multiracial, multireligious and multicultural society. Today, cancer is the leading cause of death in Singapore and about one in four deaths is from cancer. The Singapore Cancer Registry has been in existence for more than 25 years and its accuracy of data for incidence, distribution, changing patterns, etc., is close to 100%. These statistics revealed that the incidence of cancer is related to the racial distribution of the population. A national concerted cancer control programme is targeted at prevention, early detection and integrated management. Strong laws against smoking and a national vaccination programme against hepatitis are in place.