The second edition of Mediclinic Abu Dhabi Annual Cancer Conference kicked off today, featuring 18 different speakers from the UAE and from Mediclinic’s sister division in Switzerland, Hirslanden.

Held under the patronage of Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and the support of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the one-day event discussed diverse topics and saw attendance of more than 250 medical professionals working in the field of oncology from across the UAE.

In his opening address, Sheikh Nahyan said, “Under the wise leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, we, in the UAE, have assumed a comprehensive approach to health care. Not only do we strive to ensure the best care is provided to patients, but we also stress health promotion and preventative medicine in ensuring the best public health."

"Your conference, which carries the name of Abu Dhabi in its title, underscores the fact that Abu Dhabi has emerged as a regional and global center of excellence for health care. With the strong leadership and guidance of His Highness the President, our goal is a health care system that is responsive to the needs of individuals and the community at large. Regarding the scourge of cancer, we strive to attain the most advanced technologies, to detect the disease as early as possible, to implement the most effective treatments and cures, to produce research that is relevant to our region, to improve cancer education and awareness, and to empower all segments of society to support cancer patients and their families. Your annual conference is certainly an important contributor to that effort,” he added.

“The focus of this conference on a 'Multi-disciplinary Approach to Cancer' reflects the latest strategies for fighting the disease. The fight against cancer has grown more sophisticated. It has increasingly become an information-based science. Rapid advances in bio-informatics, huge leaps in computer processing power, and better understanding of the role of molecular structure in the fight against disease, are transforming the process of medical care. Innovations such as nanotechnology, T-cell therapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, precision medicine, cancer vaccines, artificial intelligence, and robotic surgery are helping to prolong lives and energise the fight against this dreaded disease," Sheikh Nahyan went on to explain.

“These new methods of treatment are far more effective than a ‘one-treatment fits all’ approach. Medicine is moving from the traditional assumption that drugs and diseases work the same way in all human beings to customising them at the individual level. Personalised medicine has demonstrated its effectiveness. The results of these information-based, biomedical, and multi-disciplinary approaches are producing new methods for treating the disease through early diagnosis and customised drug treatments.”

Hein Van Eck, Chief Executive Officer at Mediclinic Middle East, said, “Oncology is an ever-evolving and continuously progressing field, therefore it is of paramount importance that professionals in these areas of medicine stay abreast of the latest new evidence, research findings and tools to provide world class cancer treatments to the communities in which we operate. This educational initiative is also in line with our mission to ensure the safety of the community by raising awareness of public and preventative health. The conference is a testament to the efforts being exerted by all stakeholders to work collectively to combat cancer and promote screening, which leads to early detection of the disease and result in better clinical outcomes.”

Mediclinic Middle East is steadfast in its commitment to providing comprehensive cancer treatment in the United Arab Emirates and has established two Comprehensive Cancer Centres in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, operated in collaboration with Mediclinic Middle East’s sister platform in Switzerland, Hirslanden. Patients of Mediclinic’s Comprehensive Cancer Centres benefit from the sharing of knowledge and experience between some of the leading oncology experts in Europe and the Middle East, as well as have access to the very latest treatment programmes and technologies.