Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi Designated As Lung Cancer Screening Centre

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi designated as Lung Cancer Screening Centre

ABU DHABI, (Pakistan Point News - 19th Jan, 2021) Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, an integral part of Mubadala Health, has been designated as the official pilot lung cancer screening centre for the emirate of Abu Dhabi by the Department of Health.

This ensures that Abu Dhabi will have access to the latest lung cancer screening technology, helping to reduce the toll that the disease takes on our community.

"Screening is at the heart of achieving the UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda, which emphasises the importance of preventive medicine and seeks to reduce cancer and lifestyle-related diseases. Controlling diabetes and cardiovascular diseases ensure a longer, healthy life for citizens, which places great emphasis on preventative care and continuing our success in combatting cancer," said Sheikh Abdulla bin Mohamed Al Hamed, Chairman of Department of Health – Abu Dhabi.

"Receiving this designation from the Department of Health means that even more patients will have access to our advanced lung cancer screening programme. Building on the success of our colleagues at Cleveland Clinic in the United States, this programme will improve outcomes for high-risk patients, something that will save lives," said Dr. Ali Wahla, Medical Director of the Lung Cancer Programme at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

The clinic’s lung cancer screening programme is designed to find the disease in patients before they experience symptoms when it is easier to treat. Bringing together a multidisciplinary team of specialists, the screening process involves a low dose computed tomography scan that creates a detailed cross-section of a patient’s lungs. If detected, the hospital’s lung cancer programme offers a range of treatments including lung resection – widely considered the key treatment for lung cancer - as part of its multidisciplinary lung cancer programme.

"Our lung cancer programme is unique in the middle East. Patients can be diagnosed and undergo minimally invasive hybrid lung surgery in a single procedure. This approach offers new hope of reducing the toll of this disease," said Dr. Redha Souilamas, Surgical Director of the Lung Cancer Program and Chair of Thoracic Surgery at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.

The Department of Health designation means patients from across Abu Dhabi deemed to be at high risk of lung cancer will have easier access to the hospital’s advanced lung cancer screening services through referrals from Primary care physicians and family doctors.

Patients between the ages of 55 and 75 and who have a history of heavy smoking are prime candidates for screening.

Studies show that lung cancer screening in such cases reduces the risk of dying from the disease. In Abu Dhabi, cancer remains the third leading cause of death and the main reason residents travel abroad for treatment.

In 2019, the clinic announced the construction of a dedicated oncology centre, modelled on the clinic’s Taussig Cancer Centre in the US. Set to open to patients in 2022, the centre will provide a full range of advanced treatments in a central location and house support services designed to make patients as comfortable as possible as they receive their care.