National Cancer Centre Singapore

The National Cancer Centre Singapore (NCCS) is the national and regional specialist centre for cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and research. Located at 30 Hospital Boulevard on the Outram Park campus alongside Singapore General Hospital, NCCS is one of five national specialty centres in the SingHealth public healthcare cluster and serves as Singapore's primary referral facility for all cancer types.

NCCS was established in 1993 and has grown into one of the most respected oncology institutions in Asia. The centre holds the largest pool of internationally qualified oncologists in Singapore, with specialists in Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Palliative Medicine, and Psychosocial Oncology. Working as integrated multidisciplinary teams, NCCS specialists deliver personalised cancer care guided by evidence-based protocols and the latest international clinical guidelines.

The centre adopts a patient-centred, one-stop model for cancer care, enabling patients to access cancer diagnosis, treatment planning, therapy delivery, and supportive care at a single facility. NCCS sees tens of thousands of patients each year, covering the full spectrum of cancer types including breast, colorectal, lung, hepatobiliary, head and neck, haematological, gynaecological, genitourinary, and rare cancers.

As a national centre, NCCS leads Singapore's cancer research agenda and participates in major international clinical trials. The centre is affiliated with Duke-NUS Medical School and contributes significantly to postgraduate oncology training and continued medical education in the region.

NCCS provides comprehensive oncology services across all cancer treatment modalities through its multidisciplinary specialist teams. The centre's clinical divisions cover every major cancer type and treatment approach.

Medical Oncology provides systemic cancer therapy including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, and hormone therapy for all solid tumour types. Radiation Oncology delivers advanced radiotherapy including intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), and stereotactic radiosurgery. Surgical Oncology covers cancer operations across breast, colorectal, hepatobiliary, gastric, thyroid, head and neck, urological, and gynaecological malignancies.

Specialist disease-focused clinics manage Breast Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer (including NPC — nasopharyngeal carcinoma), Colorectal Cancer, Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Cancer, Thoracic Cancer, Lymphoma and Blood Cancers, Genitourinary Cancer (prostate, kidney, bladder), Gynaecological Cancer, Neuro-Oncology, Musculoskeletal Tumours, Thyroid Cancer, and Paediatric Oncology (jointly with KKH).

Support services include Palliative Medicine and Symptom Management, Psychosocial Oncology, Nutrition and Dietetics for cancer patients, Cancer Genetics Counselling, Oncologic Imaging, Endoscopy, Pharmacy (including clinical trial medications), and an Ambulatory Treatment Unit for day infusions. NCCS also runs a Cancer Prevention Centre for screening and risk assessment.

NCCS is equipped with purpose-built oncology facilities covering diagnosis, treatment delivery, supportive care, and research. The centre moved to its current modern premises at Hospital Boulevard in 2022, providing a significantly expanded and upgraded clinical environment.

Radiation Oncology facilities include state-of-the-art linear accelerators (LINACs) capable of delivering IMRT, VMAT (volumetric modulated arc therapy), SBRT, and SRS. Image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) with daily cone beam CT verification ensures precision delivery. The Ambulatory Treatment Unit provides a large number of infusion chairs for chemotherapy and immunotherapy day treatment, reducing inpatient admissions.

Diagnostic infrastructure includes dedicated oncologic imaging with CT, MRI, and PET-CT services aligned to the SingHealth campus infrastructure. The centre's Mammography Suite provides breast cancer screening and diagnostic imaging. A dedicated Endoscopy Suite handles gastrointestinal tumour assessments. The centre's clinical trial facility supports Phase I to III cancer drug trials, offering patients access to experimental therapies.

The NCCS Pharmacy is one of the largest oncology pharmacies in Singapore, preparing and dispensing hazardous chemotherapy medications. Psychosocial Oncology services including counselling, peer support, and psychological therapy are embedded throughout the centre to support patients' mental and emotional wellbeing during cancer treatment.

NCCS provides dedicated services for international cancer patients through its International Patient Services team, coordinating care for patients from Indonesia, Malaysia, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, Vietnam, and across the Asia-Pacific region who seek world-class cancer treatment in Singapore.

The International Patient Services team assists with pre-arrival cancer diagnosis review, second opinion consultations with NCCS oncologists, appointment coordination across medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgical oncology, and assistance with Singapore visa and travel documentation for extended treatment stays.

Interpreters are available in English, Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, and Bahasa Indonesia, with additional language support arranged as needed. NCCS is co-located with Singapore General Hospital and the National Heart Centre on the Outram campus, allowing seamless cross-specialty referral within a single healthcare hub. The International Patient Services team can coordinate accommodation at partner hotels near the hospital for patients undergoing multi-week treatment courses such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy.

International patients accessing clinical trials at NCCS may receive access to investigational cancer treatments not available in their home countries. Post-treatment telemedicine follow-up consultations with NCCS oncologists are available for patients who have returned home.

The National Cancer Centre Singapore operates within the SingHealth cluster's rigorous clinical governance framework and is regulated by the Ministry of Health Singapore, which sets licensing standards for all specialist centres and monitors clinical outcome data.

NCCS participates in the Joint Commission International (JCI) accreditation framework shared with the SingHealth cluster, ensuring patient safety, quality management, and clinical practice standards are maintained to internationally recognised benchmarks. The centre's oncologists hold fellowship qualifications from the Academy of Medicine Singapore, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO), the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), and equivalent bodies.

NCCS is a member of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), reinforcing its standing as a globally connected cancer institution. The centre's clinical research programmes are internationally peer-reviewed, and its cancer outcomes data is published in high-impact scientific journals. NCCS collaborates with leading cancer centres worldwide including the MD Anderson Cancer Center (USA), Institute Gustave Roussy (France), and Princess Margaret Cancer Centre (Canada) on research and training. The centre is affiliated with Duke-NUS Medical School for postgraduate oncology education.