Doctor On Call, or DOC for short, is a brand new series brought to you by Medical Channel Asia. This series aims to bring doctors and specialists from various fields to give you an introduction to common health and medical topics that you and the Asian population are interested in. In our 6th DOC, held on 14 Oct (Thursday), from 8pm to 9pm (GMT+8), we have Dr Radhika Lakshmanan, Consultant Breast & General Surgeon at Radhika Breast and General Surgery, to talk to us about Facts and Myths of Breast Cancer.
For Part 1 of the forum, we have Dr Radhika give us a short presentation on the various facts and myths of breast cancer. In Part 2, Dr Radhika answers some of the questions posted by our audience, both collated from the registration process, and also posted LIVE.
As there were many good questions that were left unanswered due to time constraints, Dr Radhika has taken her time to answer them. Read on more to find out about the answers to these questions!
Additional Questions Unanswered during webinar
Q1: I had my mastectomy Oct 2019. Finished my 8 sessions of chemotherapy and radiotherapy for my left breast. CA 2B early this year. For a month I have had mild pain in my right breast. Is it possible to have cancer on my right breast?
Dr Radhika: It is very likely that the pain is due to some hormonal changes. However, to be sure that there is no recurrence, you need to get it assessed by your breast surgeon.
Q2: After my breast biopsy, the size of the lump became bigger. Should I be worried?
Dr Radhika: Usually the lump will feel bigger as the bruising will contribute to an arbitrary increase in size. So no need to worry most times.
Q3: What does going for a second opinion mean after a malignant diagnosis. Is there any benefit? Will there be a need to repeat a biopsy?
Dr Radhika: It means consulting a different consultant or doctor from a different institution regarding the malignancy.
Different surgeons /oncologist may have different approaches. Sometimes certain approaches may not be suitable for a patient, and hence a second opinion may allow you to have different perspectives and approaches which may not have been discussed on the first consultation. If you are speaking from Singapore, there is no need for a 2nd biopsy, unless the biopsy was not done in Singapore.
Q4: Do you accommodate online consultations from overseas patients (outside of Singapore)?
Dr Radhika: Yes I do. But I prefer second opinions as I do not have the benefit of examining the patient first hand. It will be useful if initial investigations and work up are done. I would also prefer to see soft copy images as well.
Q5: Does consuming dairy increase your risk of breast cancer? What about soy products? Are there any recommendations if I love dairy / soy?
Dr Radhika: So far there is no absolute evidence to show that there is a direct risk to breast cancer. Soy products has phytoestrogen which are thought to stimulate tumour growths but evidence are not strong enough. Hence, my advice is to take everything in moderation.
What’s next in store?
- Click here to see Dr Radhika’s presentation in Part 1, and Q&A section in Part 2, if you have missed it!
- See the full videos on both our Medical Channel Asia’s Facebook page and our Medical Channel Asia’s YouTube channel:
- Part 1:
- Part 2:
- If you have missed our previous DOC webinars, visit our Medical Channel Asia’s YouTube page, or you can also read the articles:
- Doctor On Call (DOC): Dr Sean Leo – Common Sports Injuries Part 1, Part 2
- Doctor On Call (DOC): Dr Lee Fang Jann – Men’s Health Part 1, Part 2
- Doctor On Call (DOC): Dr Felix Li – Medical Aesthetics Part 1, Part 2
- Doctor On Call (DOC): Dr Michael MacDonald – The Silent Killer Part 1, Part 2
- Doctor On Call (DOC): Dr Jade Kua – DARE to Save a Heart Part 1, Part 2
