RIYADH: A 300-bed department for oncology is to be established at King Fahd Medical City (KFMC) here. Minister of Health Dr. Hamad Al-Manie made the announcement while opening a three-day international conference on breast cancer in the capital on Saturday.
In his keynote address to the conference, organized by Prince Sultan Center for Hemophilia and Tumors at KFMC in cooperation with the Houston-based MD Anderson Center for Tumors, Al-Manie said Crown Prince Sultan would soon lay the foundation stone for the new oncology department at KFMC.
“Cancer patients constitute the core of Prince Sultan’s care and attention,” he said, adding that the crown prince had provided advanced equipment to general hospitals and oncology centers to treat such patients.
Al-Manie said he expected positive outcomes from the international gathering of oncologists and hoped that the conference would contribute to the enhancement of the performance of physicians, nurses and other staff working in the field.
“Focusing on breast cancer is important, as it is the most common cancer found among women around the world and in the Kingdom,” said Dr. Abdullah Al-Amro, the CEO of KFMC. The conference coincides with an international campaign against breast cancer.
“The percentage of women under the age of 50 with breast cancer is higher in the Kingdom compared with Western countries,” Al-Amro said. The odds for recovery from breast cancer can reach 80 to 90 percent if diagnosed and treated early.
Al-Amro stressed the importance of enhancing public awareness on the disease and opening more diagnostic centers. The conference, Al-Amro said, would explore the field of cancer research with MD Anderson, specifically breast cancer topics and research, training of medical staff, and referral of patients for treatment at MD Anderson through the Higher Medical Committee at the Ministry of Health.
Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Humaidi, director of Prince Sultan Center for Hemophilia and Tumors, and head of the organizing committee, said the conference was the first step toward forging cooperation with MD Anderson.
Al-Humaidi expected that some 60,000 cancer cases would be diagnosed and treated in the Kingdom annually by 2030.
