National Cancer Centre
Encyclopedia
The National Cancer Centre Singapore (abbrev
Abbreviation
An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word or phrase. Usually, but not always, it consists of a letter or group of letters taken from the word or phrase...
: NCCS; Chinese: 新加坡国立癌症中心) was established in 1999 as the country's national centre for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. It is also the focal point for cutting-edge cancer research.
Headed by Professor Soo Khee Chee, the NCCS provides a comprehensive range of medical, educational and research activities within a single institution; and practices a multi-disciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment. The Centre, which is located in the Outram Medical Campus, is Southeast Asia’s only full multi-disciplinary sub-specialist centre for cancer and is committed to provide high quality and cost-effective sub-specialty oncology services.
As one of the leading hubs for cancer research, its scientists and researchers have published more than 1,200 papers in the past decade and established collaborations with some of the top medical, research and biopharmaceutical institutions worldwide.
In addition, the Centre is a leading teaching institution for post-graduate cancer education that trains and offers fellowships for many local and overseas doctors, nurses, para-medical professionals and researchers.
Clinical specialties
- Medical Oncology
- Surgical Oncology
- Radiation Oncology
- Oncologic Imaging
- Palliative Medicine
Sub-specialty oncology services
- Breast
- Colorectal
- Geriatric Oncology
- Head and Neck
- Hepatobiliary
- Lung
- Lymphoma
- Musculoskeletal
- Neuro-oncology
- Nasopharyngeal Cancer
- Paediatric Radiation Oncology
- Upper Gastrointestinal
- Thoracic
- Urogenital
- Palliative Care
- Neoplasm Interception Programme
- Genetic Counselling and Risk Evaluation and Prevention
Support services
- Pyschosocial Oncology
- Oncology Pharmacy
- Ambulatory Treatment Unit
- Cancer Education & Information Service
- Post-Graduate, Health Professional & Undergraduate Education
- Cancer Support Groups
Specialist Oncology Clinics Attendances (2009)
- Private: 24,818
- Subsidised: 91,748
- Non-residents: 11,344
Manpower (2009)
- Doctors: 112
- Nursing: 96
- Allied Health: 124
- Research: 201
- Administration/Ancillary: 204
Awards
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
The IAEA Secondary Standards Dosimetry Laboratories (SSDL) Network is a joint project between the IAEA (division of Human Health) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). As the designated SSDL for Radiotherapy in Singapore, NCCS has been maintaining and providing a set of Secondary Standard instruments for radiation metrology and dosimetric inter-comparison for other hospitals and in-house field dosimeters. A yearly postal dose audit is performed against the IAEA standard for radiation dose. NCCS’ results in the last 10 years have shown that our dose delivery accuracy is ±1.5% of IAEA, within the acceptable limit of ±3.5%. The Centre is also recognised by IAEA as a training centre for Radiation Oncology and Medical Physics in the region. We also participate regularly in IAEA regional and international workshops and meetings as participants and organisers.
- National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award
Prof Soo Khee Chee, Director of the NCCS, contributed substantially in the training and grooming of young clinicians and clinician scientists. For that he was presented with the first National Outstanding Clinician Mentor Award by Ministry of Health in 2008.
- Michael E Burt Memorial Award
A prestigious award conferred by one of the world’s premier cancer centers, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in US. In 2010, Dr Gopal Iyer, a surgical oncologist, was given the award for superior clinical and operative skills, research and commitment to education. This award is given annually to the best overall fellow in the entire division of surgery.
- Singapore Experience Award 2009
Dr Ong Kong Wee, surgeon, was presented with a Customer Service – Healthcare (Special Mention) award by the Singapore Tourism Board which recognises individuals with the best service delivery who have contributed to a distinctive and compelling Singapore Experience.
- American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
The ASCO award is a prestigious award given in recognition of high quality clinicians and researchers as a conduit to promote their career development by providing unique opportunities for them to pursue their research projects. Conferred by the American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation, the worldwide leading authority in Oncology, the awards are given in several categories such as:
- - Young Investigator Award - to provide funding to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology. This award was given to medical oncologists Dr Daniel Tan in 2009 and Dr Iain Tan in 2010.
- - Merit Award - to promote clinical research by young scientists and to provide Fellows with an opportunity to present their research at scientific meetings. Dr Tan Min-Han was the only doctor to be conferred the award for two consecutive years in 2005 and 2006. Fellow colleague, Dr Daniel Tan also claimed the award in 2010.
- Clinician Scientist Award
The CSA award is funded by the National Research Foundation and administered by the National Medical Research Council of MOH. It recognises the achievements of selected outstanding clinicians with proven leadership potential towards research. The award has two categories:
- - Senior Investigator, which Dr Joseph Wee, who heads the division of clinical trials and epidemiological sciences won in 2009.
- - Dr Toh Han Chong, head of medical oncology department took the Investigator award in the same year.
- STaR Award
The STaR Investigators Award is jointly offered by the Ministry of Health and The Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), to recognise and support investigators with outstanding qualifications in translational and clinical research. Director of the NCCS-VARI Translational Research Laboratory, Prof Teh Bin Tean clinched the award in 2009.
- National Research Foundation – Ministry of Health, Healthcare Research Scholarship
Medical oncologist Dr Iain Tan won the scholarship in 2009 that is awarded to outstanding Advanced Specialist Trainees. The aim of the award is to promote clinical and translational research in Singapore.
- UNESCO-L’Oreal for Women in Science International Fellowship
Dr Marissa Teo, a research fellow in the Laboratory of Cell Therapy and Cancer Vaccine, was one of the recipients selected by the UNESCO-L’Oreal Fellowship Selection Committee from the five regions, namely Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific, Arab States, and Europe and North America for the award in 2010.
- Singapore HEALTH Award
NCCS was presented with the Gold award in 2008 and Silver award in 2006 for implementing Workplace Health Promotion programmes to improve health and well-being of its employees.
- Business Continuity Management (BCM)
To enhance NCCS’ resilience towards any business disruptions by building up its response, recovery and restoration capability so that patients can continue to have a holistic range of clinical services during a disaster, NCCS embarked on a journey to attain BCM certification. The Centre has been certified by SPRING Singapore on 25 July 2005, migrated to TR19 in 2008 and subsequently to SS540 in 2009.
- People Developer
NCCS has been certified as a People Developer organisation since 2007.
Training
- Clinical Fellowship and Training Attachments
- Clinical attachments (nursing, medical)
- Nursing attachments (oncology nursing)
- Allied Health Attachments (oncology pharmacy, radiographers, radiation therapists)
- CME Lectures, Grand Rounds, Foundation Course in Clinical Oncology, etc
- Joint Multidisciplinary Tumour Board Meetings
- Formal Programmes including Certificate, Diploma and Degrees
- Overseas Educational Tours
- Courses, Conferences, Workshops, Annual Meetings
Humphrey Oei Institute of Cancer Research (HOICR)
This Institute embraces all the research activities currently carried out by NCCS. The HOICR embodies the Centre’s belief that patient-oriented research is the way to tackle cancer and that “Today’s Research will be Tomorrow’s Cure”. The Institute will enable NCCS to take its research work to a higher plane. As an institution, it can create the research culture as well as improve links between the academic and the professional communities, and facilitate more opportunities for funding of its research programmes.Research Divisions
- Cellular & Molecular Research
- Medical Sciences
- Clinical Trials & Epidemiological Sciences