Abu Dhabi hospital successfully treats 11-year-old girl with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Tawam Hospital, part of Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), has successfully treated an 11-year-old girl named Mayar, who was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a type of blood and bone marrow cancer.

Dr Anwar Salam, Group Chief Medical Officer, SEHA, said, "As part of our commitment at SEHA to provide the community with world-class care, the oncology centre at Tawam Hospital is led by an integrated multidisciplinary team of consultant doctors and qualified specialists, and the latest technologies to appropriately diagnose and provide treatment. The latest success story of treating an 11-year-old with acute lymphoblastic leukemia serves as testament to the quality of expertise and services available within the network that serves the wider UAE community."

Mayar visited Tawam Hospital in April 2017, where she was diagnosed, and soon after started chemotherapy, which lasted for approximately 2 years. The young girl was then diagnosed with relapse acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but even after treatment, her tests revealed the continuation of more than 15 per cent abnormal cells.

The doctors started Mayar on Blinatumomab, an injection used to treat B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in remission with minimal residual disease (MRD), to prepare her for a bone marrow transplant, until there were no remaining abnormal cells nor cancer cells. She then travelled to Jordan to receive the transplant.

Dr Mohammed Faisal Khanani, Head of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology, Tawam Hospital, said, "The highly qualified team of medical professionals and availability of advanced technology as part of the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at Tawam Hospital ensured Mayar received best-in-class care."

Mayar’s father said, "A cancer diagnosis is always feared, especially in children. As parents, we were in great shock, it shook our world, but the treatment opportunities and recovery rate gave us hope. More than 85 per cent of children with acute lymphoblastic get cured with current treatment modalities — this helped us stay positive throughout the process. Undergoing treatment is a challenging phase as your child faces difficulties. My daughter fought and has won, she now dreams to become a doctor to help others like her."

WAM