| 12 Feb 2010 |
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New cancer treatment removes harsh side effects
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Friday, Feb 12, 2010
Gulf News
Dubai Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy need not suffer any more from debilitating side effects, such as hair loss or nausea, thanks to a new treatment in Dubai which has proved to offer a better survival rate.
Professor Dr Karl Reinhard Aigner, an oncological surgeon from Germany, said his treatment known as Regional Chemotherapy has been studied over a period of 30 years and only targets the tumour while filtering out the chemotherapy agents from the body.
He said his main aim is to help improve the quality of life of cancer patients. "When my patient wakes up there is no fatigue, no depression," he said. "My highest goal has been to relieve pain."
The doctor said his technique saw good results for breast cancer, prostrate cancer and lung cancer patients. He thought of using this technique in 1979 when he was treating a traffic accident patient who was found to have colon cancer. "I wondered why cancer patients who go in for treatment come out with more tumours," he said.
His technique involves pumping the drug through the artery instead of a vein and isolating the drug to just the tumour with catheters. This technique also requires a lower dosage as it is concentrated, he said.
"The guidelines for tumour treatment have been created by the pharmaceutical industry," he said, noting that the industry is not supportive of his treatment.
Asked why more hospitals don't use this technique, Dr Aigner said it is complicated. "It looks easy when I explain it, but it requires extensive training."
Earlier results
The treatment only takes four to six months to show results and the patient needs to come to the hospital once a month, he said. "This is compared to a year of regular chemotherapy."
He said this technique does not work with leukaemia patients. "Conventional chemotherapy has better cure rates," he said. Many children in the UAE suffer from leukaemia.
Mortality rates for the region show that cancer is a major cause of death.
The visiting doctor is available at the International Modern Hospital.
By Mahmood Saberi
© Gulf News 2010. All rights reserved.
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