Joanna Dong has Stage 1 (but Grade 1) cancer
Home-grown singer-actress Joanna Dong, who recently went for minor surgery over abnormal cells in her breast, has revealed she has cancer.
The 42-year-old wrote on social media on June 29 that her specialist recommended some tests and scans after Dong noticed bloody discharge from her right breast.
The jazz vocalist said she and her doctor were relieved to find no cancer, but there were some atypical cells in her right breast.
She then went for a minor operation to have a relatively small segment excised and her ducts removed.
But that was not the end of it. Dong said in a video in a social media post on July 11: “Unfortunately, and please don’t be alarmed... When the lab report came back, my breast surgeon and the pathologist were very, very surprised to find that there was a tiny 7mm cancer (tumour). It was outside the breast ducts.
“It seems like it is a completely separate issue from the breast discharge that first led me down this path.”
Dong, who released her new single Definitely in April, admitted that it was stressful and disappointing for her to find out that she has cancer.
“But the good news is that it’s very, very tiny, it’s in its very early stage, it’s Stage 1 and it’s a Grade 1 cancer,” she said. “It is a hormone-sensitive cancer which, as I understand, is very treatable.”
Elaborating more on her condition and treatment plan in her post, Dong added: “PET (positron emission tomography) scans and lymph node biopsy show that the rest of my body is clear from cancer. I will have radiation therapy (no chemo needed) and hormone therapy, to reduce the chances of cancer recurring.”
She said in the video that the silver lining of the cancer discovery was that it was caught early and was treatable, and her doctors told her she should be able to make a full recovery.
Dong, who was slated to perform in one of the segments of the upcoming National Day Parade (NDP), said she hoped to get on stage again as soon as possible.
She said in her June 29 post that local singer Tay Kexin would be taking her place for three NDP rehearsal shows. It is not known if Dong will return in time for the Aug 9 event.
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