The fight against childhood cancer has received a $2.2 million boost with two programmes launched at KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) to improve treatment outcomes and long-term care delivery for children and their families battling cancer.

Established through the generosity of Children’s Cancer Foundation (CCF), the programmes reside under the SingHealth Duke-NUS Paediatrics Academic Clinical Programme and are aimed at improving long-term care delivery and outcomes for patients during treatment and beyond.

The CCF Psychosocial and Supportive Care Programme for Paediatric Oncology aims to enhance cognitive, emotional and physical treatment outcomes for patients through neuro-psychosocial care, rehabilitative, dietetic and nutritional care. Research will be used to develop innovative models of delivering longer-term psychosocial and supportive care for patients undergoing treatment and also cancer survivors.

“The fight against cancer impacts children and their families mentally, emotionally and physically. Survivors continue to be at an increased risk of developing a multitude of post-treatment effects such as neurocognitive sequelae and deficits, and a higher risk of complications in body functions later in life,” shares Dr Jasper Tong, Director, Allied Health, KKH and Deputy Group Director, Group Allied Health, SingHealth, who also leads the CCF Psychosocial and Supportive Care Programme for Paediatric Oncology.

“We are very grateful to CCF for their gift which enhances our ability to provide psychosocial and supportive care for patients during treatment and beyond.”

The second initiative, the CCF Paediatric Oncology Survivorship Programme seeks to drive innovative models of care for cancer survivors for the long term.