PESHAWAR: The public sector Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar,is seriously considering a proposal to establish an oncology department to offer specialised cancer care and produce specialists in the disease of abnormal cell growth, officials insist.

According to them, the LRH, the biggest health facility in the province, began surgical oncology in March last year and has so far performed over 100 cancer surgeries.

The officials told Dawn that the 1700-bed hospital was the only in the province to have two surgical oncologists and one paediatric surgeon and head and neck cancer surgeon each.

They said currently, the hospital had no separate cancer ward and treated cancer patients in general wards.

Currently, it treats cancer patients in general wards

Oncologists appreciated the plans and said a proper oncology department would benefit patients as well as doctors wanting to become cancer specialists.

Prof Nausherwan Burki, chairman of the LRH’s board of governors, confirmed the plans.

LRH Assistant Professor Mohammad Attaullah Khan, an oncologist in general surgery, toldDawnthat currently, the hospital, a medical teaching institute, attended to patients referred by the Institute of Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medicine, Hayatabad Medical Complex and Khyber Teaching Hospital.

He said surgery was the cornerstone of many cancer treatments and showed positive results if it was performed by an experienced doctor.

Prof Attaullah said cancer surgery needed extensive training as well as ‘high-volume’ centres to ensure that the cancer care is “organised and integrated in a multi-disciplinary fashion.”

He said a proposal was under consideration to establish a surgical oncology fellowship programme to train our future surgeons for better cancer care in accordance with the evidence-based practice.

“Surgery plays a significant part in many solid tumor treatments but currently, there is no surgical oncology department in any public sector hospital of the country.

“The surgical oncology is a well-established specialty in many countries, including the US, Europe and Asia, which has led to the centralisation of cancer care with proven positive outcomes,” he said.

The senior oncologist said most cancer patients, mostly poor people, went to public sector hospitals in the country due to high prevalence of the disease.

He said as there was no specialised surgical oncology unit in any public sector hospital, patients were treated in general wards and that, too, by surgeons not trained in cancer surgeries.

Prof Attaullah said in the absence of dedicated surgical oncology units, the board-certified surgical oncologists worked as general surgeons, who, in addition to the elective general surgical services, provided care to the victims of surgical emergencies and trauma as well.

He said the practice was a compromise on cancer treatment, which required a great deal of commitment for the continuity of care along with collaboration with other specialties, meticulous record keeping, and follow-ups.

“Surgical services should be provided by the board-certified trained surgeons as the decision-making, surgical approach and timing of surgery make a big difference in treatment outcome. Also, ample resources should be available to treat patients in a hassle-free manner without compromising the quality of surgery and post-operative care. This needs strong support from ancillary departments, including anaesthesia, radiology and pathology,” he said.

Published in Dawn, December 28th, 2022