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Geriatric Oncology

Our Services

Geriatric Oncology

2026/09/14

Growing older brings different health needs, and these can become even more important following a cancer diagnosis. Older adults often face additional considerations, including other medical conditions, medications, mobility concerns, and the support available from family and caregivers.

Our Geriatric Oncology team provides specialised care for older adults with cancer by combining expertise in ageing and cancer treatment. Our team takes the time to understand each person's overall health, personal circumstances and treatment goals, so that care can be tailored to what matters most to each patient.

By working closely with patients, caregivers and healthcare professionals, we create individualised holistic cancer management plans and interventions to support you along your cancer journey.

Cancer Care Tailored for Older Adults

With tailored recommendations and support from our Geriatric Oncology team, older patients can receive optimal cancer treatment and maintain their quality of life throughout their cancer journey. You can watch the videos below to understand our team cares for elderly adults.

(English)

(Chinese)

The GOLDEN Programme

The GOLDEN programme led by the NCIS Geriatric Oncology team is a one-stop clinic for older adults diagnosed with cancer. Available at NUH and NTFGH, we provide a comprehensive range of medical services designed to support you in planning and managing your cancer journey.

Older adults with cancer have unique needs that are independent of routine oncology care. Our clinic provides a comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) for every patient referred to the geriatric oncology service. This assessment pays careful attention to the person's physical and mental function, social situation, other medical problems and nutritional status. With this assessment, interventions will be recommended to improve health outcomes for our patients.

About Geriatric Oncology LongituDinal End to eNd (GOLDEN) programme.

Detect and Manage Chart

NCIS 3-Steps Approach ensures you receive the most suitable care

Multidisciplinary services provided through NCIS's 3-step approach.

Our Services

A Geriatric 8 screening of all patients seen in NCIS aged 65 and above
A Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) of an older patient's fitness for cancer treatment and tailoring the treatment
A MILES Surgical pre-rehabilitation programme for patients planned for cancer surgery to achieve optimal post-surgery recovery
Multi-disciplinary team discussions with tailored interventions by the team of geriatricians, oncologists, oncology nurses, care coordinators, medical social workers, dieticians, pharmacists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists in a one-stop clinic
Close follow-up via telehealth during an older adult's cancer treatment to follow up on their health status and to manage the side effects of treatment
Survivorship follow-up to co-manage challenges faced by cancer survivors, other co-morbidities and geriatric syndromes
Caregiver support for caregivers of older adults with cancers

To find out more about our services, please contact XXX@nuhs.edu.sg or +65 XXXX XXXX

Understanding the GOLDEN Programme Journey

Before starting your journey with the GOLDEN programme, check if you are eligible:

I am a cancer patient aged 65 and above
I am receiving treatment at NCIS

The GOLDEN journey

Upon cancer diagnosis, your doctor will discuss treatment options with you

Screening by a Geriatric Oncology Nurse

If suitable, you will be referred to the Golden programme.

Comprehensive Health Review

A detailed assessment of your medical, fitness, nutritional and psychosocial needs will be conducted. The Golden team will then develop a tailored treatment plan just for you.

Additional support during cancer treatment with follow up phone calls and clinic review by Geriatric Oncology team

Ongoing Projects

Quality of care is important to us. Discuss the latest insights on clinical application and make a difference for every patient, everywhere.

Establishing a sustainable geriatric-haematology oncology service in a tertiary cancer centre- moving towards CGA-driven home-based interventions, improving quality of life for elderly patients with cancer.

Chemotherapy Toxicity Score Prediction Study in older Asian adults

Artificial Intelligence modelling approach to Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment for Haematology-Oncology patients

The GOS-Frail (Geriatric Oncology Supportive care for Frail older adults with cancer) study

Our Care Team

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Doctors

NUH Golden Team

Adj A/Prof Francis Ho
Head of Department

Dr Jeremy Tey
Senior Consultant

Dr Melisa Ooi
Senior Consultant

Dr Matthew Chen
Consultant

Dr Nesaretnam Barr Kumarakulasinghe
Consultant

Adj A/Prof Pang Ning Qi
Consultant

Dr Clarice Choong
Associate Consultant

Dr Low Jia Li
Associate Consultant

Dr Elizabeth Chuk Yuen Hing
Associate Consultant

NTFGH Golden Team

Dr Nydia Camelia Rais
Senior Consultant

Dr Nesaretnam Barr Kumarakulasinghe
Consultant

Dr Alexa Lai
Associate Consultant

Nursing

NUH Nursing Team

John Peter RamyaNurse Clinician

Wu WanpingAssistant Nurse Clinician

NTFGH Nursing Team

Zarina JohariNurse Clinician

Felicia ChenAssistant Nurse Clinician

Allied Health

NUH Golden Team

Loy YijunPrincipal Physiotherapist

Ong JiexinSenior Occupational Therapist

Yao YaoSenior Clinical Pharmacist

Vivian LuahSenior Medical Social Worker

Wong Wei YeeSenior Dietitian

Ng Yean ShinSenior Care Coordinator

TrishaClinical Research Coordinator

Ong Ee HuiClinical Research Coordinator

Wendy HoyRadiation Therapist

Angie NgCare Coordinator

Lei HengCare Coordinator

NTFGH Golden Team

Tan Jian RongPhysiotherapist

Evelyn OwSenior Dietitian

Joey ChienSenior Pharmacist

Yap Zi-PengSenior Pharmacist

Angie NgCare Coordinator

Operations

NUH Golden Team

Aisha Dhewar Assistant Director, Community & Cancer Programmes

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Research Publications

Pang A., Jiali L., Ng A., et al. Use of the cancer and aging research group predictive model for chemotherapy-related toxic effects in a Multiethnic older adult Asian population.
JAMA Network Open. 2022;5(10):e2237196.
https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2797449
Ng YS., Mohd Said N., Chen M., et al. Improving the uptake of prehabilitation interventions for older adults prior to cancer treatment using telehealth in the Geriatric Oncology One-Stop clinic.
Journal of Clinical Oncology. 2022;40(28):55-55.
https://ascopubs.org/doi/abs/10.1200/JCO.2022.40.28_suppl.055?af=R
Chen M., Mohd Said N., Mohd Rais NC., et al. Remaining agile in the COVID-19 pandemic healthcare landscape - How we adopted a hybrid telemedicine Geriatric Oncology care model in an academic tertiary cancer center.
Journal of Geriatric Oncology. 2022;13(6):856-861.
https://www.geriatriconcology.net/article/S1879-4068(22)00080-7/fulltext
Chen M., Mohd Rais NC., Tey J., et al. Performance of geriatric 8 (G8) screening tool in older Asians with cancer.
Journal of Geriatric Oncology. 2022;13(8):S48.
https://www.geriatriconcology.net/article/S1879-4068(22)00358-7/pdf
RY Soong, CE Low, V Ong, I Sim, C Lee, F Lee, L Chew, CE Yau, ARYB Lee, MZ Chen. Exercise Interventions for Depression, Anxiety and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Cancer – A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
JAMA Network Open. 2025; 8(2). PMID: 39903465.
Tang, X. J., Lee, J. S. X., Chan, E., De Mel, S., Chee, Y. L., Chng, W. J., . . . Poon, M. L. Outcomes of Elderly Patients with DLBCL and Utility of Geriatric Assessment Tools to Predict Chemotoxicity.
In 5 November 2024 Vol. 144 (pp. 3660). 2024.
Tang, X. J., Lee, J., Chan, E., De Mel, S., Chee, Y. -L., Chng, W. J., . . . Ooi, G. M. M. Evaluating the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment Model As an Assessment Tool to Predict Chemotoxicity in Elderly Patients with Lymphoma.
In 5 November 2024 Vol. 144 (pp. 3660). 2024.
MZ Chen. Older Adults with Disease: Cancer, Depression, and Anxiety. In: Martin, C.R., Preedy, V.R., Patel, V.B., Rajendram, R. (eds)
Handbook of the Behavior and Psychology of Disease. Springer, Cham. 2024.
JL Low, A Pang, J Cheng, A Ng, BC Tai, YS Ng, J Tey, F Ho, M Chen, NB Kumarakulasinghe. Impact of geriatric assessment and Geriatric 8-based targeted interventions on quality of life in older adults with cancer.
Journal of Geriatric Oncology. 2024. PMID: 39516123.
ZX Ng, P Handa, H Zheng, MZ Chen, YY Soon, P Blinman, M Stockler, F Ho. Health-related quality of life with comprehensive geriatric assessment guided care versus usual care in older adults with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials.
Crit Rev Oncol Hematol. 2024 Jul 11:104442. doi: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2024.104442. PMID: 39002788.
CE Low, RM Pillay, FJJ Teo, CYL Loh, CE Yau, ARYB Lee, CSH Ho, MZ Chen. Educational interventions to reduce depression and anxiety in older adults with cancer in the community: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of randomised controlled trials.
Age and Ageing, Volume 53, Issue 6, June 2024. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afae111. PMID: 38821857.
https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afae111
CE Low, EY Chun, RY Tan, VCS Ong, RCM Ho, CSH Ho, ARYB Lee, MZ Chen. Association of depression with all-cause and cancer-specific mortality in older adults with cancer: Systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression.
Journal of Geriatric Oncology. 2024 Jan 12:101700. doi: 10.1016/j.jgo.2023. PMID: 38218674.
Tan, C. J., Tan, M. S. Y., Nagarajan, C., Chng, W. J., Chee, Y. L., Ooi, M., . . . Jen, W. Y. Factors Affecting Patient and Caregiver Preferences for Treatment of Myeloma and Indolent Lymphoma.
JCO Oncology Practice, 19(12), 1168-1178. doi:10.1200/OP.23.00336. 2023.
Lee ARYB, Leong I, Lau G, Tan AW, Ho RCM, Ho CSH, Chen MZ. Depression and anxiety in older adults with cancer: Systematic review and meta-summary of risk, protective and exacerbating factors.
General Hospital Psychiatry 81:32-42. PMID: 36724695.