Oncology

The unit was opened in 2010 by donors Joseph and Suad Hana Shomar as a daycare unit to provide chemotherapy and biological treatments to oncology patients from the entire northern region.

Treating cancer is very challenging for the staff and requires high level skills and extensive knowledge. Cancer includes a large and diverse group of different tumors, such as breast tumors, gastrointestinal tract tumors, urological, lung, head and neck tumors, brain tumors, endocrine tumors and more.

About ten years ago, The Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth decided  to open an oncology clinic for consultation and follow-up. As a result of the accumulation of many requests from the patients, the need to open an oncology day care unit that could provide oncology treatments, arose. It could save the patients and their family members the significant hassle of traveling far from their home. And so about three years ago, an impressive oncology day care unit was opened at the hospital.

Today, the oncology daycare unit at the Holy Family Hospital in Nazareth provides oncology treatments including chemotherapy, biological and immunotherapy treatments for all solid tumors at the highest level and in a pleasant and family atmosphere.

Due to the high prevalence of the disease, there is a constant and significant increase in the number of requests for the treatment. The patients referred to the unit receive an immediate response, they are examined and if a treatment is necessary, it begins within a few days. During the treatments, patients are given a full service that includes nursing support, psychological and social support, nutritional monitoring and, of course, close medical monitoring. After the end of the treatment, regular follow-ups are performed by the doctors of the unit and, if necessary, the patients are examined and treated by other relevant specialists.

The oncology day care unit of The Holy Family Hospital, gives services to the whole north-eastern region of the country. It provides comprehensive care and the best multidisciplinary service for cancer patients. The head of the unit is Dr. Salem Ballan.

Every month, 250-300 chemotherapy and immunology patients are treated in the unit. In addition to chemotherapy treatments, the unit provides a palliative treatment for patients as well, including blood and fluid transfusions.

Professional infrastructure

Cancer treatment requires multi-disciplinary collaboration. The cornerstone of the unit is a successful treatment and the provision of excellent services to the patients before, during and at the end of the treatments. It is possible thanks to the cooperation of different hospital departments. The cooperation does not include only referring patients from other departments but also mutual advising, joint meetings, discussing individual cases, treatment guidelines and academic activities.

Operational infrastructure of the oncology department

Oncology Pharmacy specialized in the preparation of oncology drugs including cytotoxic, biological and immunological treatments, with two qualified pharmacists with vast experience.

Imaging Institutes -including mammography, ultrasound, rentgen, CT, MRI and PET CT.

Emergency room - if there is a complication as a result of the chemotherapy treatment

Internal medicine department - Patients who need inpatient treatment will be admitted to the department.

Surgical department - Oncology patients with an acute surgical problem will be hospitalized and treated in the surgical department, by a team of surgeons with extensive experience in digestive system tumors and breast tumors.

Laboratory services - they provide immediate results for chemistry tests and blood counts, which are necessary for making a decision on oncological treatment.