JEDDAH, 5 October 2005 — An education program is being launched to convince the citizens and residents that blood cancer “can be treated and is curable.”
A number of blood cancer cases have been successfully treated and patients have gone back to pursue normal life. This is the first time that an education program has been planned in the interest of blood cancer patients and those with bone marrow transplants.
The idea of bringing together families, patients and doctors is to infuse confidence among the people that there is treatment available for blood cancer and victims can become normal,” Dr. Mohammad Aslam, consultant at the department of oncology at King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, told Arab News yesterday.
“We’re initially targeting parents of children who suffer from the disease,” he said, adding that the program is being introduced immediately after Ramadan. It involves the coming together of parents of children suffering from blood cancer and help them meet those who have been treated in the presence of nurses, doctors, specialists and consultants. Also invited to such gatherings will be dignitaries involved in charity and patient support. Such regular interaction is meant to boost the public morale and make them aware that blood cancer can be treated. “Our focus is on blood cancer, as ours is the only referral hospital in the Western Province equipped to undertake bone marrow transplants. In fact, our hospital is the second largest referral center in the Middle East. And we’re getting referrals from other parts of the Kingdom and also from overseas including Sudan,” he said.
In the Kingdom, there are two other hospitals in Riyadh that have the bone marrow transplant facility. The success rate of blood cancer cases is about 70 percent in general and 30 to 40 percent in cases related to acute leukemia, he said. The hospital has so far done 20 bone marrow transplants with a “high success rate.”
Blood cancer cases are diagnosed and treated depending on the age groups they come under and the type of cancer they have. While there are 10 to 12 types of leukemia, the medical fraternity has the option of resorting to therapies that include chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants.
Dr. Aslam and another consultant Dr. Mohammed Kelta are currently treating 29 blood cancer cases, 10 of them children.