Makarios at forefront of battling childhood cancers

The paediatric clinic of Makarios hospital handles between 30 and 40 new benign and malignant haematological and oncological cases every year.

The numbers were disclosed during a recent seminar entitled “Leukaemia and bone marrow transplantation: recent developments” organised by the state health services (Okypy).

“The clinic utilises international protocols for disease treatment and maintains collaborations with centres of excellence abroad to ensure patients receive the highest quality care,” a statement released by Okypy said.

During the seminar, attendees had the opportunity to learn about the diagnosis and treatment of leukaemia in children, adolescents and young adults. Among the participants was a representative from the World Health Organisation in Cyprus.

The main speaker at the seminar was internationally renowned professor of paediatric oncology and haematology at Charite University Hospital in Berlin Arend von Stackelberg, along with the professor of paediatric oncology and haematology at the University of Nicosia Medical School Loizos Loizou.

Welcoming the attendees, the Okypy executive director of the Nicosia directorate Christos Christou warmly thanked von Stackelberg for his valuable assistance and contribution to the patients of Makarios hospital, adding that having such valuable collaborators is crucial for the patients and expressing the hope that this collaboration will continue for many years.

The director of the hospital’s paediatric clinic Eleni Papachristodoulou presented the work carried out by her and her colleagues, stressing the crucial role it plays in the treatment of leukaemia in Cyprus.

“We are all here today because we share a shared determination to defeat cancer and leukaemia,” Loizou said, adding that, although the endeavour is challenging, “progress leaps are made through information, coordination, research, and collaboration with scientific centres of excellence like Charite.”

The seminar was followed by a discussion where von Stackelberg answered questions and engaged with the audience on various topics related to the diseases treated at Makarios hospital.