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Elizabeth Cheung

In the third of a six-part Health Matters wellness series on cancer in Hong Kong, Elizabeth Cheung looks into the rise in breast cancer cases among women, the changing reproductive and lifestyle patterns behind the trend and what it means for screening and early detection.
After a prolonged battle with breast cancer, actress and former Miss Hong Kong Natalie Ng Man-yan died at the age of 51.
Ng was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2022 and suffered a relapse in 2024, with the disease later spreading to her liver, bones and brain.
“These antibiotics and steroids hurt my spleen and stomach badly. I feel nauseated every day. I cannot eat well, and I do not sleep well at night,” she said in her final social media post before she died in hospital on June 9.
Ng frequently shared her battle with cancer on social media, previously writing of constant pain from tumours and the toll of targeted therapy.
Despite her illness, she maintained a positive outlook, with her resilience continuing to inspire many after her death.
In a video shared by her friend Kearen Pang in tribute, Ng was seen in a wheelchair, encouraging herself as she tried to stand.
“I must view this pain, this unease and this inconvenience as tests and challenges in this treatment process, and not let the pain and negative emotions control me,” she once said in a post.
Ng’s death has once again brought the risks of breast cancer among women in Hong Kong into the spotlight.


Rising cases of the disease have pushed the number of all cancer cases among women in Hong Kong above that of men, with official data and experts pointing to fewer births and reduced breastfeeding as key factors.
The number of women newly diagnosed with cancer has exceeded that of men since 2020, according to the Hong Kong Cancer Registry. The latest figures show 19,297 new cases among women in 2023, compared with 18,656 among men.
Experts said the increase was largely linked to a rise in breast cancer cases.
“There are more younger women developing breast cancer, which has contributed to the overall rise in new cases,” said clinical oncologist Dr Anna Tai Yin-ping, a member of the Hong Kong Anti-Cancer Society’s education committee.
But she noted that the crude incidence rate – the number of new cases per 100,000 people – remained higher among men, standing at 543 compared with 471 for women.
Data from the registry showed that between 2013 and 2023, the total number of cancer cases among women rose by 37.6 per cent, while breast cancer cases alone increased by 58.5 per cent.
Tai said the higher number of female cancer cases could partly reflect improved detection and awareness, rather than a sharp rise in underlying risk.
“Cancers commonly affecting women may be easier to detect, such as breast cancer through self-examination, or thyroid cancer, which involves noticeable lumps in the neck,” she said.


The five most common cancers among women in 2023 were breast, lung, colorectal, corpus uteri and thyroid.
Greater awareness of regular health checks has also led more women to undergo mammograms or breast ultrasounds, increasing the likelihood of detecting early-stage cancers.
Comparing data from 2013 and 2023, early-stage diagnoses have risen across several cancer types. For breast cancer, the proportion of stage-one cases increased from 31.2 per cent to 57.6 per cent, while for thyroid cancer, it rose from 48.7 per cent to 79 per cent.
Across age groups, women aged 20 to 49 recorded 1.6 times more cancer cases than men, largely due to gender-specific cancers such as those of the breast, cervix, corpus uteri, ovary and peritoneum.
Focusing on breast cancer, the main driver behind the rise, Tai said lifestyle changes among women could be a key factor.
“In recent decades, more women have prioritised their careers and delayed marriage and childbearing. Pregnancy itself is a protective factor,” she said.
She added that pregnancy and breastfeeding reduced the number of menstrual cycles over a woman’s lifetime and lowered cumulative exposure to endogenous hormones, both of which were associated with a reduced risk of breast cancer.
An Australia-led study published in the Nature journal in October 2025 found that women who had given birth and breastfed developed more specialised immune cells in breast tissue, which may help eliminate abnormal cells before they become cancerous.




According to the Census and Statistics Department, Hong Kong’s crude birth rate rose from 7.3 per 1,000 population in 2004 to a peak of 13.5 in 2011, before falling to 4.9 in 2024.
The South China Morning Post previously reported that registered births in the city dropped to a record low of 31,714 in 2025.
The median age of women at first childbirth also increased from 29.4 in 2004 to 32.8 in 2024.
Tai said other risk factors included stress, which can weaken the immune system, prolonged sitting and alcohol consumption.
While the government expanded its breast cancer screening pilot programme in June 2025 to cover women aged 35 to 74 with a higher risk, Tai said it remained unclear whether universal screening should be introduced.
“It is not difficult to encourage a 40-year-old woman to undergo screening,” she said, referring to the recommended age to begin mammograms every two years.
“But if imaging raises suspicion, more women may be referred for biopsies that ultimately turn out not to be cancer. This could lead to unnecessary anxiety and strain on resources.”
She advised that reducing alcohol intake, avoiding hormone replacement therapy and maintaining regular exercise could help lower breast cancer risk. Excess body fat can increase oestrogen production, which is linked to a higher risk among postmenopausal women.
Additional reporting by Fiona Sun


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Breast cancer is the driving force behind women’s cancer cases surpassing men’s in the city since 2020, with lifestyle changes a possible key factor


Breast cancer is the driving force behind women’s cancer cases surpassing men’s in the city since 2020, with lifestyle changes a possible key factor.


Why are breast cancer cases surging among younger Hong Kong women?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Breast cancer is the driving force behind women’s cancer cases surpassing men’s in the city since 2020, with lifestyle changes a possible key factor

Breast cancer is the driving force behind women’s cancer cases surpassing men’s in the city since 2020, with lifestyle changes a possible key factor