Kim Yan Christine Loo

Ms. Kim Yan Christine Loo

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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7 January 2025 in Cancers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
FAFilipa Alpeza
Filipa Alpeza
KLKim Yan Christine Loo
Kim Yan Christine Loo
QZQingyuan Zhuang
Qingyuan Zhuang
MHMikael Hartman
Mikael Hartman
SGSerene Si Ning Goh
Serene Si Ning Goh
Jingmei LiJingmei Li
Jingmei Li
Breast cancer (BC) screening enables early detection and timely treatment of cancer. Improving the effectiveness of BC screening can be accomplished by personalizing screening schedules according to each woman’s specific risk level. However, when informing women about their risk classification, especially those at high risk, it is important to give clear recommendations on how to lower their risk. BC risk reduction comprises lifestyle modifications, preventive surgery, and chemoprevention, with the latter two being particularly applicable to high-risk individuals. Public health guidance on risk-reducing interventions is heterogeneous and context-dependent. We conducted a scoping review on BC surgical interventions and chemoprevention in East and Southeast Asia in publications between 2010 and 2024. We searched two databases and identified 23 publications relevant for inclusion. The highest number of publications came from South Korea (n = 9). More publications discussed surgical interventions compared to pharmacological interventions. The studies were largely observational and utilized data from medical records. Most studies defined high-risk individuals as BRCA carriers, many of whom previously had cancer. The field would benefit from randomized studies of BC prevention strategies focusing on Asian populations. Future research could explore women’s sentiments towards chemoprevention compared to prophylactic surgery and could extend the definition of high-risk individuals beyond BRCA carriers.

3 November 2025 in Cancers
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
PHPeh Joo Ho
Peh Joo Ho
KLKim Yan Christine Loo
Kim Yan Christine Loo
RLRyan Jak Yang Lim
Ryan Jak Yang Lim
MGMeng Huang Goh
Meng Huang Goh
MAMustapha Abubakar
Mustapha Abubakar
SISGBCC Investigators
SGBCC Investigators
Background: Breast cancer polygenic risk scores (PRS) and traditional risk models (e.g., the Gail model [Gail]) are known to contribute largely independent information, but it is unclear how the overlap varies by ancestry, age, disease type (invasive breast cancer, DCIS), and risk threshold. Methods: In a retrospective case–control study, we evaluated risk prediction performance in 180,398 women (161,849 of European ancestry; 18,549 of Asian ancestry). Odds ratios (ORs) from logistic regression models and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were estimated. Results: PRS for invasive disease showed a stronger association in younger (<50 years) women (OR = 2.51, AUC = 0.622) than in women ≥ 50 years (OR = 2.06, AUC = 0.653) of European ancestry. PRS performance in Asians was lower (OR range = 1.62–1.64, AUC = 0.551–0.600). Gail performance was modest across groups and poor in younger Asian women (OR = 0.94–0.99, AUC = 0.523–0.533). Age interactions were observed for both PRS (p < 0.001) and Gail (p < 0.001) in Europeans, whereas in Asians, age interaction was observed only for Gail (invasive: p < 0.001; DCIS: p = 0.002). PRS identified more high-risk individuals than Gail in Asian populations, especially ≥50 years, while Gail identified more in Europeans. Overlap between PRS, Gail, and family history was limited at higher thresholds. Calibration analysis, comparing empirical and model-based ROC curves, showed divergence for both PRS and Gail (p < 0.001), which indicates miscalibration. In Europeans, family history and prior biopsies drove Gail discrimination. In younger Asians, age at first live birth was influential. Conclusions: PRS adds value to risk stratification beyond traditional tools, especially in younger women and Asian ancestry populations.