RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has announced plans to set up the King Abdullah Center for Cancer and Liver Disease, which will be the first multidisciplinary facility of its kind in the Middle East.
“The King Abdullah Center will be a focal point for research, training and excellence in clinical services,” Dr. Qassim Al-Qasabi, chief executive officer of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, said yesterday. He was speaking after inaugurating the International Congress on Liver Diseases and Transplantation here. Local and international experts are attending the event to share experiences.
The cost component of the project was not immediately known, but a congress participant said the multidisciplinary approach at the new center would allow doctors, nurses and support staff to create a treatment plan meeting the specific requirements of each patient.
“Liver disease has become a national issue since 5 to 10 percent of Saudi population suffers from viral hepatitis, and liver cancer ranks in the top three most common solid organ tumors among males,” said Al-Qasabi.
The shortage of donors has been identified as the main hindrance for the progress of liver transplants in Saudi Arabia, where 300 to 1,000 patients need transplants annually. Dr. Mohammed Al-Sebayel, chairman of the congress’ organizing committee, said there has been a dramatic increase in the number of donors lately.
“More than 100 people were enrolled for organ donation in Riyadh last year compared to an average of 20 donors annually a few years back,” he said, pointing out that the KFSH alone has performed about 200 transplants so far with a survival rate of more than 90 percent.
Currently, the KFSH is performing 40 to 50 transplants annually in collaboration with the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation.
