SINGAPORE, 17 MAY 2026 — More than a student event or hospital outreach effort, Paediatric Brain and Solid Tumour Awareness (PBSTA) Day has become a growing community of support for children living with cancer and the families who care for them.
Returning for its 12th edition, this year’s PBSTA Day brought together about 22 paediatric cancer patients, their families, and caregivers for a day of respite, connection and encouragement, powered by 50 Duke-NUS student volunteers working alongside clinicians from KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) and the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI).
The event reflects a wider reality confronting many families. Brain tumours remain amongst the most common1 form of solid tumours in children globally and are associated with a high disease burden and mortality risk. For children and families, the impact extends beyond treatment, bringing physical, emotional and financial strain that can last beyond the hospital stay.
Conceived as a student-led effort to stand with these families, PBSTA Day has grown into a platform for awareness, community support and hope. By connecting patients and caregivers with paediatric cancer survivors, clinicians and volunteers, it creates a space not only for joy and respite, but also for families to see that they are not alone.
Flagging off a sports car joyride for paediatric cancer survivors and their families. // Image credit: Duke-NUS Medical School
This year’s programme featured musical performances, carnival games, and a luxury sports car joyride courtesy of Porsche Club Singapore – a recurring PBSTA signature event. Held at One-Degree 15 Marina, this year also saw PBSTA’s continued public outreach efforts through awareness booths and a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Felicia Chua, Associate Consultant, Neurosurgery, National Neuroscience Institute (NNI), with participation from cancer survivors, caregivers, and clinicians.
Dr Chua said:
"PBSTA Day is meaningful because it helps raise awareness of the reality of paediatric brain tumours while bringing together patients, families, clinicians and the wider community in support of one another. As a clinician, I have seen the extraordinary resilience of children with brain tumours and the strength of the families who walk this journey with them. Initiatives like PBSTA remind us that raising awareness is not only about understanding disease from a clinical perspective, but also about standing with patients and families with greater compassion, solidarity and hope.”
PBSTA project committee member Isabel Crisostomo (Duke-NUS Class of 2028) added:
“In the classroom, we learn about the biology of a tumour, but in the community, we learn about the weight of a life. By raising awareness and supporting further research, we are not just fighting disease in the clinics and laboratories. We are also walking alongside patients and their families. While we may not always have the cure today, we must always have the compassion to stand by our patients until we find one.”
Associate Professor Shiva Sarraf-Yazdi, Vice Dean of Education at Duke-NUS, said:
“Our mission at Duke-NUS is to develop doctors who combine humanistic medicine and science with compassionate advocacy. Initiatives like PBSTA reflect this aim, as students engage the community to create moments of joy and meaningful human connection in support of patients and caregivers navigating difficult times.”
PBSTA Day shows that medicine, beyond diagnosis and treatment, is about showing up for patients and families, listening well and helping create moments of dignity, connection and hope.
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[1] Su Z, Lu J, Shi Y, Li T, Qi B, Guo Z. Global, regional, and national childhood brain and central nervous system cancer burden: an analysis based on the Global Burden of Disease Study. Trop Med Health. 2025 Oct 2;53(1):130. doi: 10.1186/s41182-025-00810-9. PMID: 41039581; PMCID: PMC12492830.
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