Up to 400 of the region’s top medical experts will discuss recent developments in the medical management of a range of blood disorders and cancers at an upcoming summit in Dubai.

The Middle East Hematology Oncology Summit held under the patronage of Dubai Health Authority (DHA) on February 25 and 26 at Grand Hyatt Dubai.

Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, director general of the DHA, said that serious co-operation on the care of patients with cancer and blood disorders was now required between different health authorities and organizations in the Middle east to ensure maximum benefit was made of international developments in the field.

The summit would give participants the opportunity to learn about the latest advances in the investigation, diagnosis, treatment and management of the diseases and their complications, he added.

The summit, which is being held in with the support of DHA and Novartis Oncology, will have a focus on genetic blood disorders, such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease, which are more common in Middle East populations than Northern European ones.

The summit will also focus on a selection of rare cancers in the wake of new advancements in medical management, such as chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a cancer of the bone marrow, gastrointestinal stromal tumours (GIST), which is a rare cancer of the stomach and gut, and neuroendocrine tumors (NET), a tumor that starts in the small bowel and spreads to the heart.

Advancements include a new drug treatments for patients with GIST and for those suffering from a specific type of CML known as Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+ CML), as well as the recent introduction of a new blood test that facilitates the early detection of NET – all of which have improved the prognosis of those suffering from these difficult to treat cancers, a statement said.

“The summit will offer presentations on a wide range of cancers and blood disorders but we plan to focus on those conditions that are more common in Middle East populations, as well as rare cancers that have recently seen great strides in detection and treatment,” said Dr Walid Abdulaziz, medical director, Novartis Oncology Middle East.

“This will ensure that delegates are armed with the most valuable and up-to-date information to assist them in developing first-class management plans in their respective places of work,” he added. – TradeArabia News Service