✍️ Written by: HOP Medical Centre Health Content Team ⚕️ Medically Reviewed by: HOP Senior Clinical Staff 📅 Published: March 2026 | 🔄 Last Reviewed: March 2026

⚕️ Medical Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. A positive cancer marker or screening result is not a cancer diagnosis. Always consult a qualified physician for follow-up and interpretation. Content aligns with Singapore Ministry of Health (MOH) guidelines.

Cancer screening Singapore residents should prioritise is not about fear — it is about giving yourself the best chance at early, successful treatment. Cancer is the leading cause of death in Singapore and accounts for nearly 25% of all fatalities each year according to MOH. Based on data from the Singapore Cancer Society (singaporecancersociety.org.sg), an average of 50 people receive a cancer diagnosis every day here. Additionally, 1 in 4 Singapore residents faces a risk of developing cancer by age 75. Most early-stage cancers produce no symptoms at all. Therefore, regular screening — not symptom monitoring — is the clinical standard for early detection.

A Trend Worth Knowing: Cancer Is Rising in Younger Singaporeans

While older adults still represent the majority of cancer cases, the Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 2023 (nrdo.gov.sg) shows the most rapid increase in incidence now occurs in adults under 50. The greatest rise appears among men aged 30 to 39. Furthermore, between 2019 and 2023, doctors diagnosed 4,995 cancers in people under 40 — a 34% increase compared to 2003 to 2007. Consequently, cancer screening Singapore adults in their 30s and 40s undergo is no longer just for older age groups.

The Most Common Cancers in Singapore

According to the National Cancer Centre Singapore (nccs.com.sg), prostate (18%), colorectal (15.8%), and lung (13.2%) were the three most common cancers in men between 2019 and 2023. In women, breast (29.6%), colorectal (12.6%), and lung (8.1%) led the list. These statistics matter because each cancer requires a different screening test, different age threshold, and different risk assessment. Understanding your personal risk profile, therefore, is the starting point for any sensible screening plan.

MOH-Recommended Cancer Screenings in Singapore

The Health Promotion Board (hpb.gov.sg) and MOH recommend specific screenings for cancers where early population-level detection has the strongest clinical evidence. Here is what each programme covers.

Colorectal Cancer Screening

Colorectal cancer accounts for 15.8% of male and 12.6% of female cancers in Singapore. However, it is also among the most preventable cancers — doctors can identify and remove precancerous polyps before they develop into cancer.

Who needs it: All Singaporeans aged 50 and above. Start from age 40 if a first-degree relative had colorectal cancer or polyps.

What it involves:

• FIT (Faecal Immunochemical Test) — a non-invasive stool test that detects hidden blood. Doctors recommend it annually. Healthier SG (healthiersg.gov.sg) subsidises it for eligible individuals
• Colonoscopy — direct visualisation of the colon, allowing polyp removal. Recommended every 5 to 10 years for average-risk adults, or as follow-up after a positive FIT

HOP’s Executive Health Screening packages include the CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen) cancer marker. A raised CEA, however, is a signal requiring physician follow-up — not a standalone diagnosis.

Breast Cancer Screening

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Singaporean women and accounts for nearly 30% of all female cancer cases. Fortunately, mammogram screening catches tumours at their most treatable stage.

Who needs it: Women aged 40 and above. MOH recommends annual mammograms from 40 to 49, then once every two years from 50 to 69.

What it involves:

• Mammogram — an X-ray of breast tissue that detects tumours too small to feel. The process takes approximately 15 minutes. Healthier SG subsidises mammograms for eligible women at approved clinics

Consider earlier screening if: A first-degree relative received a breast cancer diagnosis before age 50, or you carry a known BRCA1/BRCA2 genetic mutation. Discuss this directly with your physician.

Cervical Cancer Screening

Almost every cervical cancer case links to persistent HPV infection. Therefore, regular screening and vaccination together make this one of the most preventable cancers.

Who needs it: All sexually active women aged 25 to 69.

What it involves:

• Pap smear — recommended every 3 years for women aged 25 to 69
• HPV co-test — recommended every 5 years when combined with a Pap smear

HPV vaccination (Gardasil-9) offers the strongest protection before first sexual exposure. However, it still provides benefit at other stages. Discuss timing with your physician.

Prostate Cancer Screening

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Singaporean men at 18% of all male cases between 2019 and 2023.

Who needs it: Men aged 50 and above, or from age 45 with a family history of prostate cancer.

What it involves:

• PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) blood test — elevated PSA can indicate prostate cancer. However, benign prostate enlargement or inflammation also raises PSA levels. PSA is therefore not a standalone diagnostic tool and always requires physician interpretation

Important note: PSA screening is not currently part of Singapore’s subsidised programme due to the complexity of interpreting results and the risk of overdiagnosis. Whether to screen is, consequently, a decision best made through a direct conversation with your doctor. HOP’s physician consultation at every screening visit is the right setting for this discussion.

Liver Cancer Screening

Liver cancer screening is only suitable for high-risk individuals — it is not a general population recommendation.

High-risk groups include: People with chronic hepatitis B or C, established liver cirrhosis, or significant fibrosis from fatty liver disease (MASLD).

What it involves: AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) blood test and abdominal ultrasound, typically every 6 months for high-risk individuals. HOP’s Radiology and Imaging services include abdominal ultrasound as part of selected screening packages.

Understanding Cancer Marker Results

Before going for cancer screening Singapore clinics offer, understanding what a raised tumour marker means — and does not mean — is essential.

Markers such as CEA, AFP, PSA, and CA-125 are proteins that cancer can elevate. However, inflammation, infection, and benign conditions also raise these levels. A raised marker is, therefore, a signal requiring follow-up investigation — not a cancer diagnosis. This is precisely why every HOP screening includes a physician consultation. Your doctor reviews results in the context of your age, history, and risk profile. That conversation is the most clinically important part of the process. The Singapore Cancer Society (singaporecancersociety.org.sg) provides clear guidance on understanding results and next steps after an abnormal finding.

What Is Multi-Cancer Early Detection?

Traditional cancer screening targets one cancer at a time — a mammogram for breast, a colonoscopy for colorectal, a PSA for prostate. This approach has saved many lives. However, it has a structural limitation: it only finds what it looks for. Cancers in organs without a routine screening programme — stomach, oesophagus, pancreas — typically surface late, when symptoms appear and treatment options narrow significantly.

Multi-cancer early detection (MCED) technology addresses this gap. It analyses circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) that cancer cells shed into the bloodstream. Consequently, a single blood draw can simultaneously screen for signals across multiple cancer types.

SPOT-MAS: Available at HOP Medical Centre

HOP Medical Centre offers SPOT-MAS (Multi-Cancer Early Detection) — a clinically validated blood test from Gene Solutions that screens for signals across 10 cancer types in a single blood draw.

The 10 cancers SPOT-MAS screens for:

• Lung (small cell and non-small cell)
• Breast
• Colorectum
• Stomach
• Liver-Biliary tract
• Uterus
• Esophagus
• Ovary
• Pancreas
• Head & Neck

Several of these — stomach, oesophagus, pancreas, biliary tract — currently have no routine screening programme in Singapore’s public health framework. Doctors typically diagnose them at advanced stages. SPOT-MAS, therefore, provides an additional detection layer for these cancers.

SPOT-MAS performance data (sourced from hop.sg/spot-mas-10/):

• Sensitivity: 78.1% — the test correctly identifies a cancer signal in roughly 4 in 5 cases where cancer is present
• Specificity: 99.8% — the false-positive rate is very low
• Tissue origin accuracy: 84% — when a signal appears, the test correctly identifies the cancer’s origin in 84% of cases

A negative result does not guarantee the absence of cancer. Similarly, a positive signal always requires follow-up diagnostic imaging or biopsy to confirm. SPOT-MAS is a screening tool — not a diagnostic test.

SPOT-MAS is not suitable for:

• Individuals diagnosed with cancer within the past 5 years
• Those with highly suspected signs of cancer already under investigation (e.g. BI-RADS/TI-RADS > 5, LUNG-RADS/LI-RADS > 4, or polyps > 1cm on digestive endoscopy)
• Pregnant individuals
• Those with a history of bone marrow transplant or whole blood transfusion within the past 3 months

Who should consider it: Adults aged 40 and above, particularly those with a family history of cancer, elevated risk factors such as heavy smoking or hepatitis B/C, or those who want broader cancer surveillance beyond single-cancer screening. Importantly, the test requires a doctor’s prescription. HOP’s physicians provide full counselling and obtain consent before ordering it.

Price: $980 (incl. GST), as listed on HOP’s SPOT-MAS page.

Cancer Screening Quick Reference by Gender

For Women

Cancer	Screening Test	Start Age	Frequency
Cervical	Pap smear	25 (if sexually active)	Every 3 years
Cervical	HPV co-test	25 (if sexually active)	Every 5 years
Breast	Mammogram	40	Annually (40–49), every 2 years (50–69)
Colorectal	FIT	50 (or 40 with family history)	Annually
Colorectal	Colonoscopy	50 (or 40 with family history)	Every 5–10 years

For Men

Cancer	Screening Test	Start Age	Frequency
Colorectal	FIT	50 (or 40 with family history)	Annually
Colorectal	Colonoscopy	50 (or 40 with family history)	Every 5–10 years
Prostate	PSA blood test	50 (or 45 with family history)	Discuss with physician
Liver	AFP + ultrasound	High-risk individuals only	Every 6 months

Source: MOH Cancer Screening Guidelines (moh.gov.sg) and HPB Recommended Health Screenings (hpb.gov.sg)

Cancer Screening at HOP Medical Centre

HOP Medical Centre has conducted over 800,000 health screenings at our Orchard and Tampines clinics over 20 years. Our cancer-related screening services include:

• Cancer marker panels (CEA, AFP, PSA, CA-125) as part of Executive Health Screening packages — confirm specific inclusions with our team at booking
• Abdominal ultrasound through Radiology and Imaging services
• SPOT-MAS multi-cancer early detection — available as a standalone doctor-prescribed test with counselling included
• Corporate health screening packages incorporating cancer markers for employee wellness programmes

Moreover, every cancer screening Singapore patients undergo at HOP includes a physician consultation. Your results are explained in full — not simply printed on a report and handed over.

Sources & References

• Singapore Cancer Society — Common Cancers in Singapore (singaporecancersociety.org.sg)
• National Cancer Centre Singapore — Cancer Statistics 2019–2023 (nccs.com.sg)
• National Registry of Diseases Office — Singapore Cancer Registry Annual Report 2023 (nrdo.gov.sg)
• Health Promotion Board — Recommended Health Screenings (hpb.gov.sg)
• Healthier SG — Subsidised Cancer Screening (healthiersg.gov.sg)
• MOH — Principal Causes of Death Singapore 2023 (moh.gov.sg)
• Gene Solutions — SPOT-MAS Clinical Data (spotmas.com)