Professor Asher Chanan Khan, a US-based doctor, delivered a lecture on Blood Cell Cancers at the University of Health Sciences (UHS) on Tuesday.
The lecture was arranged by the UHS haematology department.
Dr Khan explained the diagnosis and treatment of a very rare blood cell cancer called Waldenström Macroglobulinemia (WM). He said the WM is a slow-growing cancer that starts in white blood cells.
He said its symptoms include weakness, swollen lymph nodes, severe fatigue, nose bleeding, weight loss and visual and neurological problems but some patients do not have any symptoms.
Dr Khan said the exact cause of WM was not known but it was believed genetics might play a role since the disease has been observed to run in families.
The doctor said fortunately the cancer was very rare with around 1,500 new cases occurring annually in the United States.
He added that athere was no cure for WM but several treatment options were available to prevent or control its symptoms.
Dr Khan said many patients were able to lead active lives due to its indolent nature and treatment could result in years of symptom-free remission.
“Patients who do not have symptoms are usually monitored without being treated while those with symptoms are usually treated with chemotherapy and biological therapy to stimulate the immune system to fight the cancer.”
UHS Vice Chancellor IA Naveed, haematology department head Prof Shahida Mohsin, Jinnah Hospital Oncologist Prof Zaiba Aziz, Pakistan Society of Haematologists president Dr Samina Naeem, Allama Iqbal Medical College pathology department head Dr Nosheen Yousaf and Services Institute of Medical Sciences pathology department head Dr Ghazala Jaffari attended the lecture.
Prof Khan currently holds the chair of haematology, oncology and bone marrow transplantation at Mayo Clinic School of Medicine Florida, USA.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 19th, 2012.
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