Lung Cancer Program

Cervical Cancer Program

Overview

The multidisciplinary team at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Lung Cancer Program uses the latest available techniques to diagnose and treat lung cancer, close to home. The Program also offers screening for lung cancer in high-risk patients, particularly those with a history of tobacco use, to identify and treat cancers at the earliest possible stage, maximizing chances of recovery and survival. The Heart, Vascular & Thoracic and Integrated Hospital Care Institutes jointly contribute to this program.

Lung cancer symptoms may not be present when the disease is at an early stage, and some people have no symptoms at all. For others, lung cancer symptoms may include a cough, shortness of breath, chest pain and other respiratory symptoms.

Lung cancer is one of the most common, complex, and aggressive forms of cancer, but today the outlook for a person diagnosed with lung cancer is getting better, thanks to a greater understanding of the disease, new treatments, and less invasive surgeries, such as robotic surgery.

Why Choose Us?

Our Lung Cancer Program brings together a multidisciplinary team, led by surgical oncologists, thoracic surgeons and pulmonologists, who collaborate with a diverse range of specialists including medical and radiation oncologists, specialized radiologists and pathologists, genetic counselor and dedicated nursing and support staff such as dieticians and physiotherapists. Together, these specialists collaborate to provide customized, coordinated care, ensuring the entire team’s expertise is focused on every patient. This comprehensive range of services ensures the highest quality of care is delivered, always.

Our team works together and meets regularly as a Tumor Board to explore and discuss the most appropriate approach to diagnosis and treatment for every patient, with treatment customized to ensure they enjoy the best possible quality of life. We also work closely with Cleveland Clinic in the US to discuss patient cases, when necessary, home to some of the most respected lung cancer specialists in the US.

We also offer an unparalleled range of embedded services to ensure an integrated, holistic and novel approach to care that goes beyond treating cancer and encompasses every aspect of our patients’ health and wellbeing. Our Lifestyle Medicine Program focuses on lifestyle choices and behaviors and their impact on the prevention, management and treatment of diseases like lung cancer, and our Palliative and Supportive Care Program focusing on improving quality of life for cancer patients and their families.

What We Treat

Lung cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the UAE, and the world’s most common cause of cancer-related death for both men and women. It is one of the most complex and aggressive cancers to treat. Lung cancer develops when the normal process of cell growth is disrupted or becomes abnormal, and a tumor forms.

Click here to learn more about lung cancer.

The incidence of lung cancer is strongly linked to cigarette smoking, with about 90% of lung cancers being linked to tobacco use. In the GCC and UAE, this also includes other forms of smoking, such as shisha, cigars, and medwakh pipes.

Most lung cancers begin in the bronchi lining (the airways of lungs or breathing tube). Lung cancer can also form in the glands below this lining, and frequently in the outer areas of the lungs.

There are two main types of lung cancer; small cell lung cancer or non-small cell lung cancer, which both develop in different ways:

Non-small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

NSCLC is the most common form of lung cancer. It often spreads and grows slowly and has three main types (named after the cells within which the cancer develops):

  • Adenocarcinoma: Usually begins near the edge of the lung. It can vary in its size and the rate at which it grows. It is the most common type of lung cancer in non-smokers.
  • Squamous cell carcinoma: Usually begins in the larger breathing tubes in the middle of the chest.
  • Large cell carcinoma: Usually begins at the edge of the lung, and it grows quickly.

Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

SCLC is less common than NSCLC, accounting for only around 15% of lung cancers. However, this type of lung cancer grows quickly, and is often advanced and has spread at the time of diagnosis.

Click here to learn more about the different types of lung cancer.