Egypt’s Ministry of Health and Population announced the inclusion of a new immunotherapy drug to treat “liver cancer” patients, according to the latest international recommendations, as part of its keenness to alleviate the suffering of patients and their families.
Hossam Abdel Ghaffar, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of Health and Population, indicated that the National Committee for Combating Hepatitis Viruses, has updated the liver tumor treatment protocols to include the inclusion of a new type of immunotherapy for liver cancer with the active ingredient “Tremelimumab/Durvalumab”, which is considered a development in the initiative’s treatment system to include two types of immunotherapy drugs, in addition to kinase inhibitor drugs taken orally.
He stressed that medications are dispensed to patients with “liver cancer” through 22 units for the treatment of hepatitis viruses located in national institutes, Ministry of Health hospitals and university hospitals, which contributes to saving the lives of patients and speeding up their treatment, as patients are received in the hepatitis viruses unit, their health condition is assessed, their medical reports are reviewed, and treatment is started periodically for free according to the patient’s health condition.
For his part, Mohamed Abdullah, Head of the Central Administration for Integrated Health Care and Director of the Early Detection and Treatment of Liver Cancer Initiative, revealed the provision of early detection services to 119,000 patients with liver cirrhosis, indicating that treatment with immune drugs was dispensed to 592 patients, and 4,982 patients with oral drugs that inhibit enzymes that stimulate the growth of cancer cells.
Abdullah stressed that patients with liver cirrhosis should check their health condition periodically through the services provided by the “Follow-up of patients with liver cirrhosis and early detection of liver tumors” program, where ultrasound examination services and tumor tests are provided periodically every 4 months in 58 liver tumor detection centers located in hospitals in all governorates of the republic.
He added that patients suspected of having any tumors are referred to tumor treatment centers to conduct confirmatory tests and start receiving treatment if liver tumors are proven, stressing that medical teams in the hepatitis virus units have been trained on the updated treatment protocol for treating hepatitis viruses.
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