Our Services
Our doctors are senior consultant medical oncologists.
While practicing general oncology, the multi-disciplinary team specialise in the following areas:
- Breast cancer
- Cancer genetics
- Prostate
- Kidney
- Bladder
- Testicular
- Gastro intestinal
- Ear, nose & throat
- Lung cancers
- Chemotherapy and Targeted Therapies for cancer treatment — These include cytotoxic agents, hormonal agents and the newer biologic targeted therapies. Curative Chemotherapy (including hormonal, targeted therapy) is used in cancer treatment. Curative Chemotherapy can be the only modality in some cancers (e.g. germ cell tumours, lymphomas)
- Cancer Genetics Services
- Clinical Trials — Oncocare is constantly running active clinical trials that will change and improve cancer treatment methods.
Modalities
Some newly diagnosed cancer patients may require a multi-modality approach composed of chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy and in some situations, innovative treatments that have been established through extensive medical research. Through participation in international clinical trials, the team is able to treat patients with these new and innovative therapy that are still under investigation.
Working with an ecosystem comprising top medical professionals in hospitals across Singapore, the team will recommend a range of treatment options.
According to individual needs, preferences and budgetary requirements, patients may receive one or more of the following:
Surgery
Surgery is sometimes the first step in cancer diagnosis.
An example of when this is used is on the treatment of liver cancer. Because the liver has the ability to regenerate if part of it is removed, this treatment can be successfully applied. In patients with colon cancer that has spread to the liver or lungs this can also provide significant benefit.
Chemotherapy
Recent advances in chemotherapy have definitely improved treatment outcomes for patients, and minimized side effects such as hair loss, nausea, and vomiting. Chemotherapy, induction chemotherapy, chemo radiation; adjuvant chemotherapy; curative chemotherapy; high dose chemotherapy with stem cell rescue; and, palliative chemotherapy are treatment options may be used concurrently in more advanced cancer stages, where it has spread to more than one location. It can be given as a pill, injection, intravenously or topically.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy works by using special energy waves to damage the DNA in cancer cells, thereby destroying the cancer cells. The new mode of radiation therapy is to kill enough cancer cells to maximize the probability of cure and minimize the side effects. There are various types of radiation therapy including external and internal radiation and intensity modulated radiotherapy. The team will prescribe the best treatment option based on the patient condition.
Hormonal therapy
The growth of some cancer cells is hormone dependent, such as breast and prostate cancers. When cancer arises in breast or prostate tissue, its growth and spread may be caused by the body hormones. Hormone therapy as a cancer treatment involves taking medications which interfere with the activity of the hormones or stop the production of hormones. The specialist may recommend a hormone receptor to test and determine the best treatment options and to learn about the tumor.
Targeted therapy
Targeted therapy is designed to treat only certain cancer cells with particular signals, thus minimizing damage to normal, healthy cells. Drug types such as monoclonal antibodies, angiogenesis inhibitors, apoptosis-inducing drugs and signal blocker small-molecule drugs are all regularly used.
It is common to use several treatment options together or in sequence. Recognizing that each person respond differently a treatment, the team uses sophisticated technology and intensive peer monitoring and quality controls, to monitor and determine a patient response to particular treatment. This allows for individualized treatment and the ability to modify it if necessary.
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