Zac Zhuang Qingyuan, Senior Specialist of Supportive and Palliative Care at OncoCare Medical Pte Ltd (Singapore), shared a post on LinkedIn:
“In the treatment of advanced cancer, the clinical battles are relentless.
Often, the only way forward is a truly integrated, multidisciplinary approach. I see this happen every day in the private sector—where everybody pools their expertise, expedites everything, and puts the patient at the heart of every decision.
Recently, our team has been supporting a young man through a journey of progressive loss in his battle against Stage 4 Ewing Sarcoma. Navigating a terminal diagnosis with someone young requires delicate balancing of honesty and hope. By engaging in serious illness conversations, we understand what matters most to him and intervene appropriately. It also gives his parents the clarity to make impossible decisions.
Our goal is always to stay one step ahead of a disease that refuses to slow down.
Personalized Oncology: The cancer treatment itself is a complex, highly specialized story—precisely what is required for a rare cancer that has failed conventional therapy.
Precision Pain Management: When the escalating analgesia cocktail (Targin, Baclofen, Panadol, NSAIDs, Lyrica, and Nortyptylline) left him eventually too ‘zonked’ to be himself, we transitioned him to an implantable intrathecal pump. Within 24 hours, he went from a heavy pharmacological fog to total clarity and comfort on a tiny fraction of intrathecal Morphine and Bupivacaine. He was back to being himself!
Targeted Radiotherapy: Acting with incredible speed, our radiation oncology colleagues intervened within 24 hours each time a new metastatic flare threatened his peace—from his jaw to his shoulders, to his spine, and eventually to his skull.
Restoring Agency: Our Allied Health therapists didn’t just treat “deficits.” They worked on jaw opening and limb function because those were the tools he needed to communicate and engage with his world. They brought in necessary modifications, like a tilt wheelchair, so he could sit and move in comfort.
The true strength of a multidisciplinary team isn’t just tapping on multilayered expertise and perspectives; it is also in our shared commitment to responsiveness. It tells a family: ‘We see your child’s suffering, and we will not let him wait.’ By combining high-level clinical speed with deep, honest conversations, we ensure that even in the face of progressive loss, this brave boy never loses his agency or his dignity.
When I see him chilling in his modified chair playing video games while receiving treatment—entirely pain-free AND drug-haze-free—it truly makes my day.”
Valerie Yang, Senior Medical Oncologist at OncoCare Cancer Centre, shared this post, adding:
“Proud of our whole team comprising Zac Zhuang Qingyuan, Diana Chan, Ru Xin Wong, Kuo Ann Lee who joined me in the care of this wonderful young man.
Thanks for articulating the key subtleties of this case Zac Zhuang Qingyuan.”
More posts featuring Valerie Yang.