Dr Chuwa Wee Lee Esther

Dr Esther Chuwa is a breast surgeon practising at Gleneagles Hospital, Singapore. She specialises in oncoplastic breast surgery as a surgical option for breast cancer treatment, minimally invasive breast biopsy techniques, and localisation and excision of non-palpable breast tumours.

After graduating from the National University of Singapore in 1999, Dr Esther Chuwa was among the first in her cohort to complete her advanced surgical training and was named top candidate by the Board of Examiners of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in her qualifying examinations.

In pursuit of her passion in breast surgery, Dr Chuwa chose to devote her practice in Singapore solely to the management and research of breast diseases, especially breast cancer, by joining KK Breast Centre in 2006. Recognising the importance of balancing oncologic control and cosmetic outcomes in the surgical excisions of breast cancers, Dr Chuwa embarked on an oncoplastic breast fellowship at the renowned Nottingham Breast Institute in the United Kingdom, under the Health Manpower Development Programme (HMDP) award in 2009.

Dr Chuwa has undertaken visiting stints and observerships at the breast and reconstruction units in various institutions including the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre in New York City, USA, the Lyon Berard Cancer Centre in Lyon, France, and the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, UK. She ranks among the few local breast surgeons in Singapore to have received formal training in oncoplastic breast surgery.

Dr Chuwa has published widely in several local, regional and international journals and was involved in several multi-institutional research collaborations under the A*star and National Medical Council Research Grants. Dr Chuwa is also a member of the European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists, International Society of Surgery / Breast Surgery International, as well as the American College of Breast Surgeons. She serves as journal reviewer for international journals including Clinical Breast Cancer and International Surgery, and as an ad-hoc reviewer for the Journal of Gynaecology and Minimally Invasive Therapy.

Dr Chuwa conceptualised and set up a holistic breast cancer support programme, Alpine Blossoms, at the KK Breast Department, which she chaired from 2008 to 2012. She is also a member of the Women’s Health advisory committee since 2012, which is pivotal in making recommendations to address women’s key health issues in Singapore. In recognition of her devotion towards patient care, Dr Chuwa has received multiple service awards including the EXSA Singapore Excellent Service Awards.

Some of the conditions she treats are accessory breasts, axillary lumps, BRCA mutations, breast abcesses, breast cancer, breast lumps, breast pain, gigantomastia, gynaecomastia, inverted nipples, nipple discharges, phyllodes tumour, problems relating to breastfeeding/lactation and saggy breasts. She also conducts breast screenings.