Dr Patricia Alcasabas

Consultant, Pediatric Hematology-Oncology, NUH Assistant Professor (Pediatrics), Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS

 

Dr Alcasabas graduated from the University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 1994. She then worked as a community and primary health care doctor for the Mangyan tribe in the island of Mindoro, Philippines. After 6 months of work in the mountains, she started Paediatric Residency training at the Philippine General Hospital from 1996 to 1998 and then at the Children's Hospital of Michigan, Detroit, Michigan from 2000 - 2003. It is also in the same institution that she trained in Paediatric Haematology-Oncology from 2003 - 2006.

After her training in the US, she returned to the Philippines in 2006 as Consultant and Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Paediatrics at the Philippine General Hospital at the University of the Philippines, where she was involved in establishing the cancer care program for indigent Filipino children.

Dr Alcasabas is board certified in both Paediatrics and Paediatric Haematology-Oncology in the United States and in the Philippines. Her interests“ include retinoblastoma, osteosarcoma, leukaemia, and international outreach or improving oncology medical service in developing countries.

Currently, Dr. Alcasabas is part of the paediatric solid tumor service at the National University Hospital, and is in charge of the Davao working group, NUH's outreach to Davao Medical Centre, Philippines in cooperation with the St. Jude Cancer Research Hospital International Outreach Program.

 

Education and Fellowships

B.S. (University of the Philippines), M.D. (University of the Philippines), Pediatric Residency (Philippine General Hospital), Pediatric Residency (Children's Hospital of Michigan), Fellowship - Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Children's Hospital of Michigan.

 

Specialty Interests

• Retinoblastoma
• Treatment of cancer in developing countries
• Osteosarcoma
• Leukemia

 

Selected Publications

1. Redaniel MT, Laudico A, Mirasol-Lumague MR, Alcasabas AP, Pulte D, Brenner H. Geographic and ethnic differences in childhood leukaemia and lymphoma survival: comparisons of Philippine residents, Asian Americans and Caucasians in the United States. Br J Cancer 2010 May 18 (epublish ahead of print)
2. Alcasabas P, Ravindranath Y, Goyette G, Haller A, del Rosario L, Lesaca-Medina M, Darga L,. Ostrea E, Taub JW, Everson RB. 5,10 - Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) polymorphisms and the risk of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in Filipino children. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. August 2008
3. Fisher C, Rajpurkar M, Alcasabas P, Curtis M. Central nervous system hemangioblastoma and von Hippel-Lindau syndrome: a familial presentation. Clin Pediatr (Phila). 2006 Jun;45(5):456-62.
4. Rajpurkar M, Alcasabas P, Warrier I, Valentini R, Fassinger N, Frattarelli DAC, MD, Ravindranath Y. Effect of Dialysis on All Trans Retinoic Acid Levels in a child with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia and Renal Failure. Pediatric Blood Cancer. April 11, 2006.
5. Alcasabas P, Dettore A, Ozgonenel B, Bhambhani K, Ravindranath Y, Savasan S. Vacuolated neuroblastoma cells mimicking FAB L(3) lymphoblasts in bone marrow aspirates. Pediatric Blood Cancer. Jan 19, 2006.
6. Balabat A, delos Reyes E, Alcasabas AP, Cavilles G, Tuazon E: Serum ferritin and pulmonary function test in pediatric thalassemia patients. Philippine Journal of Pediatrics 50:77-90, 2001.
7. Alcasabas AP, Balabat A, Ortiz E, delos Reyes E, et al. Serum ferritin and echocardiographic findings in patients with transfusion-dependent anemia and secondary iron overload. Philippine Journal of Pediatrics 48:98-103, 1999.