Professor Dr. Arthur Porter and Professor Karol Sikora made the uncomfortable and complicated topic of cancer interesting and digestible during what was the first in a series of informational seminars on cancer Feb. 27 at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre on Providenciales.

InterHealth Canada recently announced that Porter and Sikora would be heading up a newly opened Cancer Center at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre in partnership with the government, the Ministry of Health and Human Services, the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP) and the Cancer Centre of the Bahamas, where the two doctors are directors.

Cancer is the number two killer in most of the Caribbean after heart disease, but Porter says there are ways to ensure cancer is not a death sentence.Porter, who is considered an authority worldwide on the topic of cancer, told about 50 people gathered to hear the informational seminar that the most important thing in cancer treatment is early detection. “Individuals should not wait until they have symptoms, many patients don’t have any symptoms at all,” he said.

Cervical cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer and colon cancer are in the Turks and Caicos Islands, as in most other parts of the world, the most common cancers. However, all of these have early screening options which are covered by the NHIP. “Cancer can be identified well at early stages, where treatment is easily done and can lead to cures,” Porter said.

Treatment for cancer has improved in recent years, with less invasive procedures and fewer side effects, according to Sikora, who explained treatment options available.

“Surgery is the most important treatment of most cancers,” he explained. if caught early, cancer cells can be removed before they metastasize, or spread, to other areas of the body, at which stage treatment becomes more complex.

Radiotherapy and chemotherapy are the second stages generally used to treat cancer patients.

Chemotherapy services are now available on Providenciales using the hospital’s recently installed state of the art chemotherapeutic admixture unit.

Treatments are administered utilising the staff and skills of the Bahamas Cancer Centre, the only cancer centre in the Caribbean accredited by the American College of Radiation Oncology.

“Cancer is a human disease, every person needs a personal treatment,” Sikora said. This is the approach the two top doctors take towards helping patients they treat across the globe.

“Everybody deserves the best in cancer care,” said Porter, who describes the best care as not only utilizing the best medicine and know how, but also being close to home and culturally sensitive.

The two doctors who lead the Cancer Centre of the Bahamas have added the TCI to their expanding network of cancer treatment centers. while many Caribbean nations do not have a large enough population to support their own center, by leveraging staff and resources Porter says they can offer top cancer treatment in a number of Caribbean nations, including the TCI.

A fortunate concept for the residents of this country, and the approximately 30 new cancer patients anticipated per year will benefit from cancer care and expertise from some of the world’s best doctors in the field of oncology. the two will hold clinics once a month at the Cheshire Hall Medical Centre and are in regular contact with the physicians locally who are caring for and treating resident cancer patients.

Until now, cancer sufferers in the TCI have been forced to go off-island for both consults and treatment, which has been a traumatic burden for both patients and their family members. It has also proved an expensive and inconvenient process for all concerned.

They will also be holding regular open seminars hoping to educate and sensitize the population on the importance of early detection and treatment.

Photo: (from left) Professor Karol Sikora, Roger Cheesman and Dr. Arthur Porter

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