The UAE will be the first centre in the Middle East Africa and Asia region to have the revolutionary Proton Beam Therapy treatment for cancer by 2018 in Abu Dhabi, work for which begins this year.

Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Adviser to the President of UAE, has signed an agreement with the UK-based Proton Partners International and Albans Partners General Trading.

Proton therapy is considered the most advanced and targeted cancer radiotherapy treatment due to its superior dose distribution and fewer side effects.

Professor Karol Sikora, Chief Medical Officer of Proton Partners International, told Gulf News: "Proton beam therapy represents one per cent of radio therapy treatments and can be effective in the case of more than 17 per cent of patients under conventional treatments, especially children. The proton beams treatment has the capacity to stop around the tumour and destroy only the cancerous cells, sparing the organ. Recovery is quicker with minimum side effects or long-term qualifications and it works effectively in the case of children with any brain and spinal tumour.”

He added: "The Abu Dhabi Centre, on which work starts this year, will be able to open its doors by 2018 and will be connected to our three UK centres via our cloud sharing network. I am confident that by creating a global network of proton centres connecting leading institutes in Britain with Abu Dhabi is the best way forward.”

Different kinds of cancers are on the rise globally and in the UAE too. Welcoming this innovative treatment, Dr Essam Dohair, Head of the Dubai Thalassaemia Centre and adviser on the project, said: "When functional, this centre will provide an opportunity for millions of people from the Middle East, Africa and Asia to avail of this treatment which was earlier beyond their reach.”

This treatment will cost more than one and a half times than conventional treatment but Dr Dohair said two insurance companies were getting involved in initial talks.

"We are in negotiations with some insurance companies, convincing them that although this treatment is expensive, it will save insurance the huge cost of after care and long-term conventional treatment of cancer,” he said.
Source: Gulf News