A NEW, potentially groundbreaking type of treatment for prostate cancer could soon be introduced in Bahrain.
The King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) is planning to procure a nuclear medicine which could revolutionise the treatment of the disease.
The radioactive drug, administered intravenously, will target cancer cells and destroy them without hurting the surrounding tissue.
KHUH Commander Major General Dr Shaikh Salman bin Attiyatallah Al Khalifa told the GDN that the drug has been approved and will be imported in two weeks.
The GDN reported last week that Bahrain spent almost BD18 million on cancer treatment last year as the number of patients suffering from the disease had surged by 171 per cent over the last three years.
“We are trying to bring a new kind of medicine for prostate cancer,” said Maj Gen Shaikh Salman.
“It is an injection with a radioactive material which goes directly to the prostate and kills cancer cells.
“It is a nuclear medicine – we got the approval last week and it will be imported in two weeks.
“The highlight is that it (the drug) actually follows the tumour, so when there is a tumour it will directly go and kill it.
“This means we don’t need radiation, the radioactive material will trace the tumour.
“This is a new model of cancer treatment in the world and is the best and the newest in treating prostate cancer.”
The GDN reported last month that an estimated 30 men in Bahrain are diagnosed with prostate cancer annually – making it the third highest risk factor for males.
Experts have been calling for more awareness drives and screening programmes to tackle prostate cancer, which represents almost 10pc of all tumours in men annually.
“It is a huge step forward and comes in line with our vision to provide cancer patients with all the required tools for their treatment,” explained Maj Gen Dr Shaikh Salman.
“Nuclear medicine will definitely have a good impact in managing cancers like neuroendocrine tumors and prostate and many others of the kind.
“We used to send people abroad for treatment for these conditions, but now with this medicine, we don’t need to do that.”
Maj Gen Dr Shaikh Salman
The medicine will be yet another addition to Bahrain’s efforts to tackle the rising number of prostate cancer cases.
The GDN reported yesterday that Bahrain has launched the MR-Linac, the latest cancer treating machine, at the Bahrain Oncology Centre, making it the only GCC and the second Arab country (after Turkey) to own it.
The machine helps in treating cancers like the prostate which are found in deep locations in the body.
Maj Gen Dr Shaikh Salman did not confirm if Bahrain is the first in the GCC or the larger region to adopt the radioactive drug.
However, Bahrain Oncology Centre director Elias Fadhel asserted that it could make “a great impact” on prostate cancer patients.
“Prostate cancer patients are mostly elderly and the layers of tissues in the area are vulnerable,” he said.
“The medicine would help as the impact of the treatment will be less on the soft tissues and side-effects will also be minimal.”
Mr Fadhel said the ‘dynamic and personalised’ MR-Linac machine will also be an additional boon in treating prostate cancers.
Figures released by the International Agency for Research on Cancer Globocan, a subsidiary of the World Health Organisation, last year show that men are most at risk of colorectal cancer followed by lung cancer.
According to the agency, of the 572 cases of cancer among men of all ages in Bahrain, 83 (14.5 per cent) were colorectal, followed by 65 (11.40pc) lung cancer and 51 (8.9pc) prostate cancer.
raji@gdn.com.bh
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