The State of Cancer Care in the United Arab Emirates in 2022
Cancer is the third-leading cause of death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); cancer care in the UAE has evolved dramatically over the last 40 years, from a single center in Al Ain in 1981 to more than 30 cancer centers and clinics across the UAE, with at least four comprehensive cancer centers in t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Clinics and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/12/6/101 |
| _version_ | 1797460845479854080 |
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| author | Humaid O. Al-Shamsi |
| author_facet | Humaid O. Al-Shamsi |
| author_sort | Humaid O. Al-Shamsi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cancer is the third-leading cause of death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); cancer care in the UAE has evolved dramatically over the last 40 years, from a single center in Al Ain in 1981 to more than 30 cancer centers and clinics across the UAE, with at least four comprehensive cancer centers in the UAE nowadays. Despite the significant progress in medical care, cancer quality control across the UAE is still lacking, with significant variations in cancer care across the cancer centers. Access to clinical trials is still hampered by a lack of expertise and research infrastructure and a small population, which renders patient accrual for trials a major challenge. Education and training are other areas for improvement that require immediate attention, and, in this review, we try to address these critical aspects for stakeholders to consider better cancer care in the UAE. Early cancer detection and screening are still evolving in the UAE, and a national screening program is lacking. There is also a need to address barriers to screening and to consider less invasive screening methods such as approved blood-based screening, which is likely to be more acceptable to the UAE population. In this review, we also address new topics that have not been addressed previously, including oncology medical tourism, psycho-oncology, onco-fertility, precision oncology, survivorship, oncology nursing, cancer support programs, and the oncology sector’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all in the context of the UAE cancer landscape. Finally, we provide recommendations for policymakers, regulators, payers, patient advocacy groups, and the UAE oncology community regarding the delivery and future planning of high-quality cancer care. These recommendations are aligned with the UAE government’s vision to reduce cancer mortality and provide high-quality healthcare for its citizens and residents. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:10:52Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f6dcf57a7d054c1fbfc529f8f6ef46e9 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2039-7283 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T17:10:52Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Clinics and Practice |
| spelling | doaj.art-f6dcf57a7d054c1fbfc529f8f6ef46e92023-11-24T14:05:17ZengMDPI AGClinics and Practice2039-72832022-11-0112695598510.3390/clinpract12060101The State of Cancer Care in the United Arab Emirates in 2022Humaid O. Al-Shamsi0Department of Oncology, Burjeel Cancer Institute, Burjeel Medical City, Abu Dhabi P.O. Box 92510, United Arab EmiratesCancer is the third-leading cause of death in the United Arab Emirates (UAE); cancer care in the UAE has evolved dramatically over the last 40 years, from a single center in Al Ain in 1981 to more than 30 cancer centers and clinics across the UAE, with at least four comprehensive cancer centers in the UAE nowadays. Despite the significant progress in medical care, cancer quality control across the UAE is still lacking, with significant variations in cancer care across the cancer centers. Access to clinical trials is still hampered by a lack of expertise and research infrastructure and a small population, which renders patient accrual for trials a major challenge. Education and training are other areas for improvement that require immediate attention, and, in this review, we try to address these critical aspects for stakeholders to consider better cancer care in the UAE. Early cancer detection and screening are still evolving in the UAE, and a national screening program is lacking. There is also a need to address barriers to screening and to consider less invasive screening methods such as approved blood-based screening, which is likely to be more acceptable to the UAE population. In this review, we also address new topics that have not been addressed previously, including oncology medical tourism, psycho-oncology, onco-fertility, precision oncology, survivorship, oncology nursing, cancer support programs, and the oncology sector’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all in the context of the UAE cancer landscape. Finally, we provide recommendations for policymakers, regulators, payers, patient advocacy groups, and the UAE oncology community regarding the delivery and future planning of high-quality cancer care. These recommendations are aligned with the UAE government’s vision to reduce cancer mortality and provide high-quality healthcare for its citizens and residents.https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/12/6/101United Arab Emiratesincidencecancerscreeningonco-fertilitypsycho-fertility |
| spellingShingle | Humaid O. Al-Shamsi The State of Cancer Care in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 Clinics and Practice United Arab Emirates incidence cancer screening onco-fertility psycho-fertility |
| title | The State of Cancer Care in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 |
| title_full | The State of Cancer Care in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 |
| title_fullStr | The State of Cancer Care in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 |
| title_full_unstemmed | The State of Cancer Care in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 |
| title_short | The State of Cancer Care in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 |
| title_sort | state of cancer care in the united arab emirates in 2022 |
| topic | United Arab Emirates incidence cancer screening onco-fertility psycho-fertility |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2039-7283/12/6/101 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT humaidoalshamsi thestateofcancercareintheunitedarabemiratesin2022 AT humaidoalshamsi stateofcancercareintheunitedarabemiratesin2022 |