Advancing Care for Paediatric Brain Tumours

Brain tumours are the most common solid tumours in children and are the leading cause of cancer death in childhood. Despite progress in the field, there is still much work to be done to improve cure rates and minimise treatment-related side effects wherever possible. The advancement of paediatric brain tumour care requires a team effort from different aspects of the healthcare system.

This starts with early detection by primary care professionals. Studies have shown that brain tumours in childhood have the greatest delay in diagnosis, likely due to the myriad of symptoms they could present with. The implementation of new molecular diagnostics and therapies also plays a significant role - revolutionising the genomic landscape for paediatric brain tumours, and driving important revisions in their classifications.

Overall, it is also crucial to adopt a holistic and multidisciplinary approach towards both management of the condition in tertiary centres, and post-treatment surveillance in survivorship clinics.

A $2.1 million pilot programme for breast cancer survivors is expected to benefit about 4,000 patients. Run under the Temasek Foundation Access programme, a partnership between Temasek Foundation and the National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS), the support scheme is designed to complement conventional medical treatment with emotional and social support in post-treatment care, for improved quality of life. Read more.

In November 2019, SingHealth organised the second International Conference on Humanitarian Medical Mission (ICHMM) with delegates from 19 countries. In a speech by Mr Benjamin William, Secretary-General of the Singapore Red Cross (SRC), he stressed the urgent need for a coordinated and collaborative approach - in a time where humanitarian crises are mounting in complexity and scale.
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