UAE: ‘Hot chemotherapy’ gives new hope to cancer patients
Nandini Sircar/Dubai
Reuters
Though advanced, morbidity, mortality and complications remained high in this procedure.
Just when his cancer was getting worse, Sudanese doctor Mohammad Abdel Rahman took a risk and agreed to an emerging procedure called ‘hot chemotherapy’. Thanks to the complex operation, he is now feeling much better with up to ‘99 per cent of his tumour’ gone.
“I am glad the UAE has surgeons who are trained to do these complex procedures and where one can expect to have the level of care to support such complexity. This country is truly passionate about innovation in healthcare,” said 36-year-old Mohammad, a Ras Al Khaimah resident battling middle rectal cancer.
Sharjah: As a doctor, Mohammad Abdel Rahman, 45, knew the odds were stacked against him when he was diagnosed with advanced middle rectal cancer in February 2020.
“Initially, the doctors used chemotherapy, but as the cancer spread they realised they were fighting a losing battle,” recalls the Sudanese expat.
Early this year, Rahman’s condition worsened. His hopes were then hinged on Burjeel Specialty Hospital Sharjah, where a multidisciplinary team of doctors examined his medical reports and recommended the CRS-HIPEC procedure an aggressive combination of surgery and chemotherapy in which a surgeon removes cancerous cells manually and floods the abdominal cavity with a hot solution containing chemotherapy drugs to kill any cancer cell that are not visible to the naked eye.
UAE Covid: This antibody cocktail may offer protection against the virus
Nandini Sircar/Dubai
Reuters
Medics pointed out that while a vaccine (active immunity) prepares the immune system to battle future infections.
New antibody treatments have shown promise in keeping high-risk Covid-19 patients out of the hospital, doctors in the UAE have said.
Medics pointed out that while a vaccine (active immunity) prepares the immune system to battle future infections, an antibody (passive immunity) injected into a patient can immediately treat an existing SARS-CoV-2 infection.
The experimental antibody cocktail which the then US President Donald Trump received when he tested positive for Covid-19 offers benefits against the novel coronavirus infection. However, the drugs have not been widely used since being authorised for emergency use.
More UAE residents make up their minds: We re getting the Covid-19 vaccine
Saman Haziq/Dubai
Wam
With the vaccination campaign in full swing across the country, experts have said cases are expected to go down eventually.
Residents who were previously unsure whether to take the Covid vaccine or not have now made a decision and signed up for jabs.
Ras Al Khaimah resident Sarah Khan said she and her family took a wait-and-watch approach as they were worried about possible side effects. However, the recent spike in cases served as a ‘wake-up call’, she said.
“I have been reading up a lot on the vaccines but due to some international news about the side effects, we were avoiding the vaccine.