Breast cancer is the most common female malignancy worldwide. The global incidence rate of breast cancer is on the rise annually, especially in the Asia region. In the recent years, the breast cancer rates in the Asian generations are surpassing even the historically high rates seen in the United States, highlighting an urgent need for efficient prevention and treatment strategies among Asian populations.

Although disease detection and treatment have been well-studied in Western populations and subsequently adopted in Asian populations, the epidemiologic and biologic profile of breast cancer in Asian women are substantially different from those in the Western countries. A strong birth cohort effect was also observed, implying that gradual change towards a more westernized lifestyle, such as adverse changes in diet, physical activities and fertility, has contributed to the increasing incidence rate

The Singapore Breast Cancer Cohort (SGBCC) study is one of the largest multi-ethnic breast cancer cohort in Asia. The cohort was established with the overarching aim to evaluate important genetic and environmental risk factors in breast cancer, as well as to identify new genetic prognostic markers. The possibility of an increasing ability to predict breast cancer and understanding its etiology in the genome wide association era in an Asian setting will allow for preventive measures and the possibility of individualized therapy to take place.