Leading oncology specialists from across the globe shared their skills and insights with more than 700 leading cancer specialists in the Middle East region during a key conference held in Abu Dhabi.

The Emirates Oncology Conference, one of  the largest conference of its kind, was hosted by Tawam Hospital, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (Seha) under the theme of “Setting Higher Standards in Cancer Care.”

The three-day conference was attended by more than 700 physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals from the UAE, GCC, and the Middle East  as well as 70 expert speakers from around the globe.  

Addressing the gathering, Gregory Schaffer, the CEO of Tawam Hospital said, “Knowledge exchange between international and regional health care providers is critical. It helps health care professional to ensure that patients in the UAE and the region are able to benefit from the latest advances in cancer diagnosis, treatment and care."

"Based on the quality of the presentations and the attendance, the event was highly successful. We are also proud that we had an opportunity to offer physicians and other health care professionals a chance to gain insights into how people in the Gulf region seek and respond to various treatment options,” he stated.  
 
Speakers at the event included some of the world’s leading experts in their respective fields from Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore (US). Tawam Hospital is affiliated with Johns Hopkins Medicine.

“Pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of death in the US,” revealed Dr John Cameron, professor of surgery, professor of oncology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore.

Dr Cameron said his presentation focused on the diagnosis and treatment of this condition, as well as intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms, a precursor of pancreatic cancer.

The Whipple operation is a procedure for the treatment of pancreatic cancer in which the head of the pancreas is removed along with a portion of the bile duct, gallbladder and duodenum; the remaining pancreas, bile duct and intestine are then re-joined to the intestine.

Dr Cameron also was a keynote speaker at the gastrointestinal oncology session. Another international leader in her field, MiKaela Olsen MS, RN, AOCNS, oncology and hematology clinical nurse specialist at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, spoke at the session on oncology nursing.

An invited audience of over 700 physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals from the UAE, GCC, and the Middle East attended the conference, with sessions over the three days spanning breast cancer, palliative care, gastrointestinal oncology, gynecological oncology, urology, hematology, pulmonary oncology, and paediatric cancer treatment.-TradeArabia News Service