Cancer Diagnosis Breathes Best at American Hospital, Dubai

Diagnosis of cancers and tumours of blood cells can be expensive and also take a while to shape up before full fledged treatment can begin.The American Hospital in Dubai is set to become the first of its kind in UAE to have implemented the FACSCalibur™ Flow Cytometry system (analyzer and software).

This technology will detect and diagnose cancers and tumours of blood cells/leukemia. This technology uses lasers to analyse and work on samples of patient cells. Once the results are obtained, it is interpreted by a skilled and highly trained certified cytometrist.

Now patients do not have to wait for days altogether – these results are easy to acquire in just a two hours.This hospital now offers a comprehensive range of diagnostic, treatment and rehabilitation services which include chemotherapy. The American Hospital, Dubai is also the only place with a radiotherapy department in Dubai. The cancer care centre is able to diagnose 50 patients per day which is remarkable, given health conditions and care available.

Flow cytometry is known to be a laser based, bio-physical technology that is used in cell counting, sorting of cells, biomarker detection and protein engineering. This happens by suspending cells in a stream of fluid and passing them by an electronic detection apparatus. This mechanism enables it to study the chemical and physical properties of a plethora of particles in a second. Flow cytometry is used in a wide range of disorders, especially like in blood cancers, also in basic research, clinical practice and clinical trials.

The new FACSCalibur system can deduce from patient samples, from bone marrows to body fluids, over 30 different markers to be able to generate as fast as 50,000 cells in just a few seconds. This system gives a clear picture to the Cytometrist to interpret quickly and begin the treatment while time is still in grasp. A ‘Tumour Board’ meeting is carried out every week to assess the progress of patients.

While commenting on the importance of the new FACSCalibur system, Aaron Han, MD, PhD, Chief, Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine at the American Hospital Dubai said:

“This new system speeds up the analysis of specimen cells very significantly with a preliminary reading within two hours and, therefore, the diagnosis of cancers and leukemia – and even the specific type of leukemia; this means patients enter treatment programs earlier, which can help improve the treatment outcome. This is a significant investment but there is a clear need and demand for this service within the community as our Cancer Care Center continues to grow.”

The American Hospital Dubai is accredited to Accreditation Committee of the College of American Pathologists (CAP) and is a multi-speciality hospital in Dubai.