New technology provides succour for cancer patients

FRESH hope has come for cancer and cardiac patients in the form of new technology for better diagnosis, care and management.

At a one day seminar in Enugu State for medical practitioners at the Fidelma Hotel, on Continuing Medical Education (CME), organised by Niger Foundation Hospital, Enugu, in partnership with ISN Products Limited, medical practitioners lamented the huge cost of ineffective diagnosis in the treatment of cancer and cardiac patients.

Themed, “the use of biomarkers in clinical practice and patient care,” the seminar placed “special emphasis on the importance of diagnostic testing for cancer and cardiac patients.”

A Surgical Oncologist and Director of the Oncology Center at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Prof. E. Ezeome, and a consultant Physician and Cardiologist, Dr. B. Anisuba, also at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku Ozalla, Enugu delivered the main seminar lectures. Professor Ezeome spoke on the role of tumour markers in cancer treatment and clinical oncology, while Dr. Benedict Anisuba spoke on the use of cardiac markers in early diagnosis and management of cardiac patients.

According to Ezeome, “tumour markers have become increasingly important in cancer management as almost all cancers have biomarkers associated with them.” He explained that tests for tumour markers should be highly sensitive and specific and that, “it is important that the testing laboratory uses high quality equipment and standardized kits to perform the tests in order to minimize variation in test results. By testing for these tumour markers on equipment such as the cobas e411 which Niger Foundation Hospital has showcased, doctors will be better able to diagnose and treat cancer patients.”
Hailing the new technological advancements, he noted that, “hitherto, we didnt know how to identify cancer but with the new advanced diagnostic testing, doctors are now better placed to diagnose specific cancers.”

Dr. Anisuba highlighted the ideal characteristics of effective cardiac markers testing, which according to him should include, “accuracy, reproducibility, ease of interpretation by the clinician, high specificity and sensitivity, and availability of Point of Care testing.” He explained further, “that the usefulness of biomarkers in the diagnosis, risk stratification, treatment and evaluation of prognosis of cardiac patients is most evident in the acute coronary syndrome (ACS).” He further explained the usefulness of “cancer markers for predicting future course of the disease such as recurrence, response to certain therapies, monitoring the efficacy of treatment.”
A Senior National Manager for ISN Products, Mr. Henry Onwuka, noted that the “testing for most of the tumour markers and cardiac markers can be performed on the Roche cobas e 411 immunoassay analyzer, which is currently in use at the Niger Foundation Hospital. The Roche cobas h232 Point of Care cardiac reader is an effective instrument for Point of Care testing for cardiac patients.”