The National Blood & Cancer Center (NBCC) has selected GE Healthcare as its key imaging technology and advisory partner for the establishment of Saudi Arabia's first private healthcare facility licensed to prevent, screen, diagnose and treat cancer and blood diseases. The center on King Abdullah Road in Riyadh will boost diagnostic care with a new comprehensive out-patients facility that will bring several new offerings in Hematology and Oncology in the Saudi private sector, including dedicated outpatient Chemotherapy infusion unit and the Kingdom's first “Same-Day Cancer Diagnosis” Clinic. NBCC's Radiology Department will house GE's latest diagnostic imaging systems including Magnetic Resonance, CT-Scan, Ultrasound and Healthcare IT solutions. The facility will feature - for the first time in the Kingdom - GE's Automated Breast Ultrasound System (ABUS) intended for use as an adjunct tool with mammography, and GE Healthcare's first-ever integrated, simultaneous PET/MR system, first outside USA. This a hybrid imaging system that combines PET — which is used to determine the activity of cancer cells in a tumor mass— and MR — which focuses on specifying the location and physical size of a tumor. As part of the partnership, NBCC will also leverage GE Healthcare's clinical department solutions designed to enhance the patient experience through the development of locally relevant cancer patient pathways and more efficient patient throughput, as well as the deployment of technical and leadership training to ensure optimization of product features and benefits. “The rise of all forms of cancer continues to place significant burden on the community and the healthcare system,” said Mazen Dalati, President & CEO, GE Healthcare Saudi Arabia. “With research showing that at least one-third of cancer cases are preventable1 meeting the cancer challenge head-on ranks among the key health priorities of Saudi Arabia. Complementing the leadership of the public sector, GE applauds the efforts of the National Blood Cancer Center for building and expanding access to essential oncology services in the private sector. Through its work globally and in the region, GE Healthcare is a committed partner in the Kingdom and across the Middle East to bring its extensive oncology solutions and expertise to help combat cancer.” Innovation is at the forefront of this approach helping researchers increase their understanding of the causes and the progression of cancer. For example, while GE's imaging systems assist doctors in seeing the tumor, molecular imaging agents help target cancer and molecular diagnostics help physicians personalize cancer treatment and management decisions. Further, new and emerging diagnostics including GE Healthcare's latest positron emission tomography (PET) tracer technologies can also help doctors determine whether specific oncological treatments are working. In line with efforts to bring innovation to tackle the global burden of breast cancer, GE's SenoBright Contrast Enhanced Spectral Mammography (CESM) technology combines digital mammography, X-ray and a contrast agent to help detect and localize a lesion rapidly. CESM can be used to help confirm findings and localize lesions when screening results are inconclusive and can be performed quickly, potentially reducing the stress of waiting time for many women. — SG
