Proton Therapy Centre opens in Riyadh

The medical facility – which is expected to receive its first patients before the end of the year – is the only one in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

The facility is expected to offer a significant boost both to local healthcare provision, and to Saudi Arabia’s attractiveness as a destination for medical tourism.

The centre’s launch was officially announced by Saudi Minister of Health, Fahad bin Abdulrahman Al Jalajel, at the recent Global Health Exhibition in Riyadh in late October.

Proton therapy is a form of radiotherapy that utilises protons instead of X-rays to target and destroy cancerous cells. The technique is more effective than older methods of radiotherapy due to its higher level of accuracy. This prevents unnecessary damage to surrounding cells, and accelerates the recovery process.

According to Cancer Research UK, proton beam therapy is primarily used on adult patients to treat certain types of cancer that develop at the base of the skull or near the spine.

The technique is more commonplace when treating young adults, teenagers and children, and can be used for brain cancer, spinal cord cancer, and cancers that develop in the head or neck area.

In the UK, the London Clinic recently announced the details of a £4 million two-year refit and design of its in-house blood sciences pathology laboratory.