annually by the Oncology Department in King Abdulaziz City
Dr. Ali Saeed Al-Omari, a consultant in pediatric hematology and oncology at King Abdulaziz Medical City in the National Guard, explained that scientific studies have proven that cancer is a genetic disease that occurs due to genetic differences in the human body, and there are no direct causes for a child’s infection with it.
He said that the mother''s exposure to nuclear radiation or some viral infections of adults leads to cancer in the child, in addition to genetic causes in some very few cases, which do not exceed 2 to 3% of cancer cases.
For her part, Deputy Head of the Oncology Department and Consultant Hematologist, Dr. Reem Muhammad Al-Sudairi, explained that the Oncology Department in the city receives annually more than 60 children with cancer, and they are treated by a medical team that includes doctors, social workers, psychologists and pharmacists.
She pointed out that the recovery rate of these patients may reach from 70 to 80%, as these recoveries are followed up until the age of ten years, whether from a pathological, cognitive or social point of view, and a specialized section has been allocated in this aspect.
Al-Sudairy said that the Oncology Department has many strategic partnerships with the Sanad Association for the Care of Pediatric Cancer Patients and other specialized associations, which greatly contribute to supporting outpatients, explaining that the National Guard Oncology Department enjoys great support from the National Guard Health Affairs Command, as it is one of the advanced departments. And developed, which provides advanced treatment service for children with cancer, which has become one of the leading departments in the Kingdom.
This came within the entertainment day for children with cancer, which was organized by the Oncology Department and the Social Service Department at King Abdulaziz Medical City at the National Guard. It included many cultural events and competitions, in addition to the establishment of a number of awareness corners to spread awareness in the community in the fight against cancer. Social worker Mashael Al-Shubaili in the city stated that this entertainment day witnessed a large presence of patients and their families, and said that the children interacted greatly with the existing activities and involved their families in this atmosphere, which contributed greatly to drawing signs of satisfaction and happiness among the attendees. Al-Shubaili said that the city''s social service department seeks to build bridges of communication with all parties to serve cancer patients and their families, in addition to developing many services and activities in accordance with standards and rules that ensure the achievement of more excellence in work and serve the trends that take into account in the first place the comfort and needs of patients.
