Prostate cancer can be cured without radical surgery

Prostate Brachytherapy delivers high-precision radiotherapy directly into the prostate using needles placed under ultrasound guidance. This can cure cancer without needing radical surgery or a weeks-long course of radiotherapy. Moreover, in comparative studies, brachytherapy is the most cost-effective treatment and has the least risk of complications. The procedure only takes a couple of hours and the patient can go home the same day without needing time off work for recovery.

The comprehensive cancer centre at Mediclinic City Hospital has become the first hospital to provide this highly effective treatment in the UAE so patients don’t have to travel abroad. An engineer from Abu Dhabi became the first man with prostate cancer to benefit from this advanced form of treatment to cure his cancer without needing to go through radical surgery. A team of experts at the centre successfully performed this pioneering procedure of prostate brachytherapy on March 9, using state-of-the-art equipment, including the Varian GammaMed HDR brachytherapy machine and BK 5000 ultrasound machine. The team was led by Dr Rana Irfan Mahmood, a radiation oncologist with vast UK-based experience and a special interest in prostate cancer. A multidisciplinary team of experts, including medical physicists, radiation therapists and nurses was involved in delivering this high-precision treatment. The patient commented: “I must confess that I was nervous to be the first patient, but the team at Mediclinic led by Dr Rana Irfan Mahmood was very professional and put me at rest. I’m happy that I went through this simple treatment to cure my cancer without surgery. I commit to educating other patients and also participate in men's support groups organised by Mediclinic or others. Thank you Mediclinic to bring this prostate brachytherapy treatment, as the first and only provider in The UAE.”

Mediclinic City Hospital’s, comprehensive cancer centre in Dubai is a founding member of the Middle Eastern Society of Radiation Oncology (MESTRO), enhancing the availability of brachytherapy to patients in this region. Dr Nadeem Pervaiz, vice-chairman of MESTRO, attended the session and thanked Mediclinic for making this advanced treatment available to the population in the UAE and beyond.

Dr Mahmood, who led the procedure, said: “Radiotherapy and Brachytherapy can cure prostate cancer with the same result as surgery but without needing a major operation. Brachytherapy is the safest, most cost-effective and has the least recovery time with impact on daily life.” This is the standard of care in the Western world but until now was not available to men in our region. Thank you Mediclinic to invest in the resources so our patients can access this effective therapy without needing to travel abroad."

The centre is not only committed to providing world-class care to cancer patients but also provides training to other cancer care providers in the region. Its Radiotherapy team recently helped the team at Sultan Qaboos Centre in Muscat to become the first hospital in Oman to provide advanced interstitial brachytherapy using needles to cure large cervical cancer. Mediclinic pioneered this treatment in 2021 and remains the only hospital to provide this curative therapy in the UAE. In partnership with Varian, the leading radiotherapy equipment manufacturer, opportunities will be provided to other teams in the UAE and abroad for hands-on training to learn these advanced techniques.