Dr Siah says being positive is good for one's physical and mental health. — RAJA FAISAL HISHAN/The Star
IT WAS in 2020 when Dr Amelia Siah found a suspicious breast lump.
During one of her postnatal massages eight months after giving birth to her first child, her masseuse casually told her that she felt a lump in her breast, but added that it could be due to breastfeeding.
For new mothers, a lump in the breast could be due to a clogged milk duct, and the condition will subside once they stop breastfeeding.
A medical doctor by qualification, Dr Siah could not brush off her masseuse's discovery.
"I knew the characters of a possibly cancerous lump, which is fixed and irregular, and my lump felt just like that," she says.
She was 35 then, younger than the average age of diagnosis of breast cancer in Malaysia, which is after the age of 50.
But Dr Siah realised that hers wasn't a textbook case, so she needed to be more proactive.
"Two years before that, my mother, who was 63 at that time, was diagnosed with stage two triple-negative breast cancer," she says.
The TNBC is a rare type of breast cancer that makes up around 15% of all breast cancer cases globally. According to medical website Mayo Clinic, TNBC cells grow rapidly, and "is more likely to spread beyond the breast before diagnosis and is more likely to recur than other breast cancers".
Immediately after
A high achiever who is result oriented, she immediately arranged for a mammogram and ultrasound. Her attending doctor saw the scans and said to her: "This doesn't look good."
But she says she didn't take a long time to mope or feel sad. At least, while she was dealing with the emotional blow, she did what she needed to do to get a proper diagnosis and treatment protocol.
"So I called up my mum's breast surgeon. We knew each other because I helped my mum go through her own cancer treatment," she says.
"And after the biopsy, she confirmed my diagnosis as TNBC, the same cancer type that my mum has."
Dr Siah started her medication protocol right after the diagnosis.
"My staging was 2B and my protocol was adjuvant chemotherapy for four days followed by another 16 sessions for impaction axillary clearance – to ensure that all cancer cells are gone."
"Unfortunately my lump, which was 2.3cm, went down to only 1cm, not zero, so I had to go through another nine months of chemotherapy," she adds.
"This December, I will reach my one-year cancer remission mark and I hope I can always be cancer-free," she says.
Higher risk
According to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), a young woman’s breast cancer risk is higher if she had her first menses before 12 years old or did not breastfeed. Dr Siah didn't meet these criteria. However, she has a family history as her mum was diagnosed with it.
"I have given talks to breast cancer support groups and have seen patients in their 20s and 30s with this disease. If there's one thing young women should know is that they should not follow the textbook – get yourselves screened as soon as possible. See a doctor, share your family history and follow the screening routine that your specialist suggests," she says.
"The world has changed, and people are getting cancers at a younger age, so please do your check-up. It's the best thing you can do for yourself.
"Medical advancement is much better now compared to decades before but this will not make much difference if women are not vigilant and proactive towards their own health and well-being," she adds.
Dr Siah says things have not changed much for her after her breast cancer diagnosis, but she does things faster now.
"I have always been driven and ambitious and the diagnosis has spurred me further to achieve my dreams, which is establishing this clinic," she says.
"This is my dream, even if I get stressed out about breast cancer, it will not change anything about the disease. But if I continue to look after my health and at the same time, make my life worthwhile by pursuing what matters to me, then I can live without regret," she says.
A self-confessed workaholic, Dr Siah says she really enjoys her job, but she also makes sure that she gets enough rest and eight hours of sleep daily.
"Being positive is good for your physical and mental health. Don't forget your medical screening. Surveillance can pick up health issues early," she concludes.
