Last week, SAH has conducted patient follow-up clinics in Bahrain for patients previously treated in the US, and held a guest lecture about Proton Therapy at King Hamad University Hospital.
In 2011, SAH has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Health of the Kingdom of Bahrain to take patient who qualify for Proton Therapy to partner centers in the US for Cancer Treatment. For each patient, once the treatment plan has been discussed and validated by the local oncologists, by the Overseas Treatment Committee, and by the SAH Care Team, SAH Care organizes the travel and treatment at one partnering facilities. Twice a year, the SAH physicians come in the Middle-East & Africa region to see the patients they have treated with Proton Therapy in the US.
Dr Atman Pai has conducted last week those patient follow-up clinics in Bahrain.
Bahraini pediatric patients previously treated by SAH Care in the US have been seen at Salmaniya Medical Complex. Dr khulood and her team have outstandingly coordinated the consultations with our young patients.
Adult patients have been seen at King Hamad University Hospital with the remarkable Dr Hanadi Malik, Radiation Oncologist at KHUH.
SAH also held a lecture about Proton Therapy at King Hamad University Hospital presenting a practical approach to Proton Therapy.
Proton therapy has gained acceptance throughout the world, but it remains difficult to define which patients benefit the most of Proton Therapy.
Utilizing proton therapy is quickly becoming the best practice for pediatric radiation oncology services. Proton Therapy is a form a radiation therapy which aggressively treats the tumor while substantially reducing side effects that could impact the child’s development and quality of life. This advanced cancer therapy has been proven to protect vital organs, important tissues, nerves, and glands during treatment, while also decreasing the estimated risk of secondary malignancies.
Proton Therapy is also very beneficial for adult patients with cancer that occurs near vital organs. It can be precisely and narrowly targeted specifically on cancerous tumors and tissues, applying intense amounts of radiation only to the affected area. This advanced therapy is most commonly used for localized cancer and tumors that have not spread, or metastasized, to other distant parts of the body.
Proton Therapy is ideally suited as well to minimize toxicity to previously irradiated organs. It offers dosimetric advantages for normal tissue sparing and it provides effective tumor control with acceptable acute and late toxicity profiles because of the decreased dose to the surrounding normal, albeit previously irradiated, tissue. Proton beam therapy can be a safe and effective curative reirradiation strategy, with acceptable rates of toxicity and durable disease control.
In 2020, we’ll keep advocating, explaining the benefits of Proton Therapy, and fighting to make sure that the patients who need the most this treatment can get it on time.
