Multidisciplinary team deployed to operate on 76-year-old patient with highly aggressive cancer.
Abu Dhabi-UAE. A multidisciplinary team at SEHA, a subsidiary of PureHealth, the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East, has successfully treated a rare and aggressive form of stomach cancer. The case involved a 76-year-old female patient diagnosed with a neuroendocrine carcinoma (NEC) of the stomach, a malignancy affecting less than 1 per cent of stomach cancers.
Because NECs, with an annual incidence rate of just 0.5 per cent, are so rare, and their symptoms so nonspecific, it means there are few evidence-based guidelines for management. Doctors said the case underscores SEHA’s multidisciplinary approach in the diagnosis and management of such rare and challenging diseases.
The patient, a 76-year-old female, presented with pain in their abdomen. A CT scan revealed a malignant-looking gastric ulcer and a concerning lesion in the liver. A biopsy confirmed a high-grade, aggressive, rare tumour, which had a Ki-67 proliferation index reaching 90 per cent. This index measures how fast cancer cells are dividing – a Ki-67 proliferation index over 30 per cent is considered high.
Dr. Solomon Kuruvilla P John, a leading specialist involved in the case, commented: “This case underscores the need for a collaborative and multidisciplinary approach in managing rare and challenging malignancies. This case report highlights the importance of thorough workup, evidence-based decision making, and comprehensive treatment planning to optimise patient outcomes.”
The collaborative multidisciplinary approach involved pre-operative nutritional optimisation via a feeding tube to enhance the patient’s overall health for surgery. Minimally invasive surgery aimed to remove all cancerous tissue. Following surgery, detailed histopathology analysis confirmed the tumour type and its spread, informing further treatment decisions. Finally, post-operative monitoring with imaging scans ensured complete tumour removal and checked for any signs of recurrence.
SEHA is committed to advancing healthcare through innovative approaches and collaborative efforts in line with PureHealth’s mission to expand lifespans and health spans.
About PureHealth:
By advancing the Science of Longevity, PureHealth is introducing the healthcare of the future from the United Arab Emirates to the rest of the world. PureHealth is the largest healthcare platform in the Middle East with an ecosystem that challenges lifespans and reimagines health spans. With 100+ hospitals, 300+ clinics, multiple diagnostic centres, health insurance solutions, pharmacies, health tech, procurement, investments and more, its groundbreaking innovations are at the forefront of healthcare as the company is on a mission to unlock time for humankind.
Pure Health’s network comprises:
- SEHA – One of the largest healthcare networks of hospitals and clinics in the UAE
- Ambulatory Healthcare Services (AHS) – Delivering comprehensive community-based healthcare services
- Daman (The National Health Insurance Company) – The UAE’s leading health insurer
- The Medical Office – Overseeing Sheikh Khalifa Hospitals and healthcare facilities established under the initiatives of H.H. The President of the UAE
- Rafed – The UAE’s largest healthcare Group Purchasing Organisation
- PureLab – Managing and operating the largest network of laboratories in the region
- One Health – A network that provides end-to-end medical solutions to a base of over 300 healthcare service providers
- The Life Corner – Abu Dhabi’s first holistic pharmacy, serving the health and wellness establishment
- Ardent Health Services – The fourth largest privately held acute care hospital operator in the US
- Circle Health Group – The largest independent operators of hospitals in the UK
- PureCS – A leading cloud and technology services provider, specialising in IT management and consulting solutions, cybersecurity, cloud services and AI information systems
- Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) – The UAE’s largest healthcare complex, delivering integrated complex care.
About SEHA:
SEHA is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company owns and operates all of the public hospitals and clinics of the emirate of Abu Dhabi. SEHA is a PureHealth asset, the UAE’s largest healthcare platform in the Middle East. SEHA is committed to the continuous improvement of customer care to recognised international standards and providing the community with world-class healthcare. SEHA operates 14 hospitals with over 3,000 beds, 70 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centres, and three blood banks. Its facilities accommodate 117,162 inpatients annually, conducting 43,262 surgeries, and treat more than 5 million outpatients. SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East, with more than 14,000 doctors, nurses, ancillary care, and administrative personnel. L
