Bone marrow transplant program Princess Noura Cancer Center Reaps many successes
Implant 332 cases for adults and children
The Department of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation at Princess Noura Bint Abdul Rahman Al-Faisal Oncology Center at King Abdulaziz Medical City has witnessed many successes since the marrow transplant program. Treatment for many diseases such as leukemia, genetic blood diseases, thalassemia, sickle cell anemia, bone marrow failure in addition to lymphomas, bone marrow transplantation is a medical treatment in which blood stem cells are used from the same patient in the case of autologous transplantation or from a matching donor Full or half identical in the case of a non-autologous transplant to produce a new bone marrow free of the disease to be treated, and the doctor depends on choosing the type of transplant based on the nature of the disease and the patient's condition, and the idea of transplant is to collect stem cells (present in the bone marrow) and transfer them to the patient via catheter Intravenous without the need for any anesthesia, just like a blood transfusion, and stem cells are characterized by their ability to migrate from the blood circulation and move to the marrow of the Bone to form red blood cells (help transport food and oxygen), white blood cells (they fight infections and boost the body's immunity) and platelets that help in blood clotting.
Dr. Samir Al-Amoudi, Consultant and Head of the Department of Hematology, Oncology and Adult Bone Marrow Transplant, explained that the bone marrow represents 2.6 % of the human weight. It is considered one of the most active organs of the body in terms of construction and regeneration.
Dr. Al-Amoudi indicated that 215 cases (autologous transplants) and 55 cases were transplanted. (Non-autologous transplantation) for adults with different diseases in the bone marrow transplant program, and the cases have been crowned with a high success rate, praise be to God. It constitutes hope for many people with malignant tumors, especially if they are diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma.
Dr. Al-Amoudi also indicated that the Princess Noura Bint Abdulrahman Al-Faisal Cancer Center receives annually more than 200 cases of lymphomas of all kinds and approximately 150 cases of leukemia. According to the information storage unit, these statistics are one of the center's achievements.
Dr. Dania Manqal, Consultant Hematology and Oncology, Head of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program, stated that the center had started bone marrow transplantation for children of different age groups since 2016 (autologous transplant) and 2019 (non-autologous transplant). The number of transplant cases has reached 63 of them: forty-two autologous and 21 non-autologous transplants, with success rates in line with international standards. And the Department of Pediatric Transplant offers this type of treatment to combat various types of hematological and non-hematological tumors (such as brain cancer and neuroblastoma). During the pandemic, a transplant was provided from a half-matched child of child who had leukemia. The transplant was crowned with success, thankfully. The beginning of the continuation of transplantation for children from completely non-conforming donors, and the number of cases for this type of transplant has reached 9 cases since 2020. This year's achievements for the Pediatric Department is the provision of transplantation for non-cancerous diseases such as sickle cell anemia, bone marrow failure, and phagocytosis (a genetic immune disorder). In cooperation with international/local centers, the medical team brought stem cells for a child from out of the Kingdom according to the required quality standards (implantation from a non-conforming one).
Despite the challenges due to the Corona pandemic, the medical team continued to provide excellent care to patients by the grace of God Almighty (may God heal them).
Dr. Mubarak Al-Mansour, appointed head of the Princess Noura Bint Abdul Rahman Cancer Center, confirmed that with the grace of God and then with the full support of the Health Affairs of the Ministry of National Guard, the Princess Noura Bint Abdul Rahman Center has been able to achieve many achievements, the most prominent of which are:
Increasing the number of beds from 54 to 122 beds
Special clinics have been established for newly diagnosed cases of tumor patients with breast cancer, gastrointestinal cancer, and lymphoma to facilitate the treatment of patients with the most frequent tumors.
Special clinics have been established to evaluate chemotherapy to ensure the patient's safety and health
A unit and hotline have been created to support children with tumors to provide a medical service around the clock for children and their families after their discharge from the hospital.
An oncology informatics unit has been created to study ways of developing and ensuring quality for the treatment of oncology patients
The accuracy of radiotherapy has been developed and updated with the latest devices, treatment systems, and international competencies.
An electronic system has been developed to facilitate and improve the period of transferring a patient with tumors from other hospitals in our beloved Kingdom to the Princess Noura Center.
The chemotherapy protocols have been unified in all specialties at the Princess Noura Center, including the Department of Adult Oncology, the Department of Hematology, Bone Marrow Transplant, the Department of Pediatric Oncology, and the treatment protocols for gynecological diseases in line with international treatment protocols
On the research level, more than 75 research papers have been published in local and international refereed journals in the past two years. More than one research proposal was put forward at the Kingdom level last year to develop the diagnosis and treatment of tumor diseases.
For his part, Dr. Muhammad Al-Zahrani, Executive Director of Medical Services at the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs in the Western Sector, said that the citizen's health is one of the top priorities and the leadership of this country, which has reached the level of health care in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the world. The Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs did not neglect its academic role. It was a pioneer in adopting the best programs for health education and postgraduate studies. With the full support of the MNGHA, modern high-tech devices have been secured on the latest advanced technology in The field of oncology treatment, which effectively contributes to providing treatment and alleviating the suffering of patients, as it is considered one of the latest medical equipment. These devices are not limited to confirming the ability to identify the disease in its early stages but also to provide the maximum degree of confidence in identifying the disease, which leads to early diagnosis and thus increases the possibility of early medical intervention for treatment, and this facilitated the successful conduct of bone marrow transplants.