'Don't be alarmed': Joanna Dong reveals she does have breast cancer after all

Local singer Joanna Dong had a minor surgery late last month but reassured her supporters that it wasn't cancer.

However, the 42-year-old took to Instagram today (July 11) to share that she does have breast cancer after all.

"Unfortunately and please don't be alarmed… When the lab report came back, both my breast surgeon and the pathologist were very, very surprised to find out there was a tiny 7mm cancer [tumour] outside the breast ducts," she said in the video.

She added that it appeared to be a separate issue from the breast discharge that led to her surgery.

"Of course it's stressful and disappointing to find out that I do have cancer but the good news is that it's very, very tiny and it's in its very early stage, stage 1," she continued, adding that she understands it's a hormone-sensitive cancer that is "very treatable".

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Joanna said she's currently looking at radiation and hormone therapy.

"This really was a silver lining that we caught it so early and that it's so treatable, so I'm going to be fine. My doctors told me I should make a full recovery and I trust them," she said with a smile.

She emphasised that she wants to continue singing: "I would like to perform as soon as I can because singing is one of the few things that really just brings me so much joy."

In the caption of her post, Joanna told her followers that she has no signs of cancer elsewhere and thanked them for their care and support.

On June 29, she posted on social media that she noticed a bloody discharge from her right breast and went for some tests and scans.

The MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) results were "pretty concerning" and revealed a sizeable area of blood pooling in the ducts on both breasts.

She subsequently had minor surgery to have a "relatively small" segment excised and her ducts removed.

Joanna is slated to perform in one of the segments of the upcoming National Day Parade (NDP) and local singer Tay Kexin has been performing in her place in the rehearsals and shows.

It is not certain if Joanna will still perform on Aug 9.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Joanna Dong 董姿彥 (@j_o_a_n_n_a_d_o_n_g)

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