Dh80 million cancer plant set up in Dubai
POSTED January 28, 2010 - 10:56 | POSTED BY Jyoti Pal
Last edited by Kangna Agarwal on January 28, 2010 - 11:36
The Dubai Health Authority announced that the private factory will produce FDG, or Flurodeoxglucose, the radioactive glucose that is vital not only for the detection of cancers but also for the phases or stages that the cancer is in.
The FDG also helps assess the progress in the treatment of cancers at the initial stages.
FDG an hour away from hospitals
Qadhi Saeed Al Murooshid, the Director General of Dubai Health Authority who inaugurated the plant on Wednesday claimed that the set up would revolutionize cancer management in Dubai.
“Previously we needed to import this injection from countries like Holland and the short-shelf life of the product was always a challenge,” noted Al Murooshid.
“Now the injection is manufactured in Dubai and will be an hour away from many major hospitals that require this drug for various oncological, cardiovascular and neurological conditions,” claimed Al Murooshid.
The Dh80 million high-tech factory in Al Ghusais is a joint venture between MONROL UAE and the Al Mulla Group. The establishment boasts of a cyclotron device that will enable large scale production of FDG.
Benefits of the PET/CT scanning facility
The PET/CT scanning facility, the newest molecular imaging service used for early cancer diagnosis, functions only when a dose of FDG is injected into the patients undertaking the scan.
The injected glucose is immediately absorbed by the cancer cells, making them conspicuous in easily discernible colors in the diagnostic images.
“This substance has to be given to the patient at the hospital just before the test. The benefit of having a cyclotron for local production of FDG will be tremendous,” said Dr Al Suwaidi, Consultant Medical Physicist in Nuclear Medicine at Dubai Hospital.
“With just one injection, we can get the nuclear images of various parts of the body. Though PET/CT scan can be used for other areas like neurology and cardiovascular, this particular cyclotron currently produces the FDG with chemical compounds that are more beneficial in oncology,” she added.
Cancer has transpired as a major killer primarily because the diagnosis happens at later stages of the disease. Patients tend to develop serious complications due to the disease’s late diagnosis.
The establishment of the Dubai plant is likely to take the modality of treatment and delivery of care to cancer patients to a much higher level that will translate into a higher cure rate, and a longer life with better quality of life.
