'Heavy ion therapy': Abu Dhabi to open game-changing cancer treatment facility

Abu Dhabi is set to revolutionise cancer care in the region with the launch of a world-class heavy ion therapy facility — one of only 15 of its kind globally.

The cutting-edge centre will be located adjacent to Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s Fatima Bint Mubarak Centre, bringing some of the most advanced treatment options to patients in the UAE and beyond.

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The announcement was made on the opening day of the Abu Dhabi Global Health Week, which kicked off on Tuesday, highlighting the emirate’s growing leadership in healthcare innovation.

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Heavy ion therapy represents a major breakthrough in cancer treatment. Unlike conventional radiation, this advanced technique uses carbon ions —12 times heavier than protons — to destroy tumours with unmatched precision.

The result is a treatment that delivers more energy directly to cancer cells while significantly reducing damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

Sparing healthy tissues

Speaking to Khaleej Times, Dr Georges-Pascal Haber, CEO of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, emphasised the potential impact of the facility, said, “Many types of cancer could be treated with this therapy, starting with prostate cancer, lung cancer, ENT cancer, any type of cancer. But what is unique is we can also treat patients who have already been treated with radiation. So, treatment of tumour that are radio resistant, such as sarcomas, will benefit greatly from this type of technology.”

Each patient undergoes a detailed imaging process — including CT and MRI scans — to accurately map the tumour's location. From there, a customised treatment plan is developed using sophisticated software to calculate the optimal dose and beam path. Carbon ions are then accelerated to nearly 70 percent of the speed of light, enabling deep tissue penetration and effective targeting of even the most difficult-to-treat tumours.

Dr Haber also noted the therapy's potential in pediatric care and ongoing research.
“Children can be treated with this kind of therapy. We will be opening many trials to diagnose not only carbon ion, but other heavy ions with this type of facility we're going to have.”

The precision of the technology offers significant benefits in terms of patient recovery and treatment efficiency.
“We're expecting patients who are treated with carbon ion to have a faster recovery just by having this treatment being more precise, with treating only the tumour and sparing the healthy tissue,” Dr Haber explained. “So, we'll be able to precisely treat the tumour with much less sessions while sparing the healthy tissue, which means decreasing the risk of side effects from the treatments.”

Decoding the technology

As a key technology partner, Toshiba is helping bring this vision to life with its advanced treatment systems.

Kensuke Suzuki, Head of New Technology Toshiba said, “Toshiba utilises advanced technology to treat tumours with precision in three key ways,” a spokesperson explained. “First, through pencil scanning, we use a focused ion beam to 'paint' over and eliminate the tumour by controlling the ions with magnetic fields. Second, with respiratory gating, we track the tumour's movement caused by a patient’s breathing using deep-point X-ray guidance, allowing the beam to follow the tumour in real-time for accurate treatment. Third, our gantry system enables 360-degree irradiation without moving the patient, reducing organ displacement and allowing for flexible and effective treatment planning.”

With this facility, Abu Dhabi not only joins an elite group of global medical centres offering heavy ion therapy but also positions itself as a regional leader in next-generation cancer care.

Hasan Jasem Al Nowais, Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of M42 and Chairman of Clevland Clinic Abu Dhabi, pointed out the importance of this partnership for the UAE and cancer patients.

He said, “M42’s partnership with Toshiba ESS is a significant step that reinforces our commitment to reshaping the future of global health through cutting-edge innovations and technologies. By introducing heavy ion therapy to the Middle East, we are not only enhancing Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s oncology capabilities, but also plugging a critical gap in cancer treatment options for people in the region. With no other heavy ion radiotherapy centre within a five-hour flight radius (both to the East and the West of the globe) of Abu Dhabi, this advanced, accurate and effective form of radiation therapy gives hope to cancer sufferers in the region.”

• Abu Dhabi

Nandini Sircar

nandini@khaleejtimes.com

Nandini Sircar has a penchant for education, space, and women's narratives. She views the world through a prism of learning: whether it's the earthly pursuit of wisdom or the unearthly mysteries of space. In her written universe, women and children take centre stage.