Shifa Cancer Center (Oncology)

Cancer poses an emerging and potentially significant health burden in Pakistan and it is expected that this burden will increase in the times to come due to the growth and aging of the population, and because of adopting such behaviors and lifestyle factors that lead to cancer.

Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. There are more than 100 types of cancer, including breast cancer, skin cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma. Symptoms vary depending on the type. Cancer treatment may include chemotherapy, radiation, and/or surgery.

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Shifa Cancer Center

Shifa Cancer Center is recognized as one of the top cancer treatment facilities in Pakistan. Shifa Cancer Center is a center of excellence for the diagnosis and treatment of various cancer types in Pakistan since the early 1990s. The hospital has a state-of-the-art treatment facility for cancer patients supported by the latest technological equipment and an internationally experienced and board-certified multidisciplinary team of medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, surgical oncologists, and radiologists. Shifa Cancer Center provides the most advanced medical expertise in an environment that focuses on quality healthcare with compassion for all where patients benefit from the innovative treatments, leading to better outcomes.

Our Oncology team is highly trained and  specialized in helping patients suffering from various benign and malignant cancers by offering the best cancer treatment services for

  • Carcinomas: Cancers originated in the skin, lungs, breasts, pancreas, and other organs and glands.
  • Lymphomas: Cancers that begin in infection-fighting cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes.
  • Leukemia: Cancers of the blood.
  • Sarcomas: Cancers of bone, muscle, fat, blood vessels, cartilage, or other soft or connective tissues of the body.
  • Melanomas: Cancers of Skin

Medical Oncology

Medical Oncology deals not only with the treatment of patients with cancer, but also covers cancer prevention, cancer screening, and early diagnosis. In other words, medical oncology deals with all aspects of cancer. Moreover, the department cooperates with surgery and radiology departments for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer in order to plan a multidisciplinary approach in light of the scientific data.

The Center provides comprehensive medical oncology care for solid tumors and hematological malignancies, using treatment options such as

  • Autologous/Allogenic Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT): Bone Marrow Transplant is a medical treatment of replacing Bone Marrow with healthy cells. This can be done by taking bone marrow from the patient himself/herself or a donor. Shifa International Hospital, Islamabad has been performing the most challenging cases of Bone Marrow Transplant and have performed more than 250 Bone Marrow Transplants. 
  • Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a drug treatment to kill cancer cells in patients. Shifa International Hospital offers chemotherapy services in a safe and infection-free environment ensuring the highest quality standards 
  • Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy is the treatment of cancer by enhancing the body’s natural defense (Immune System). At Shifa International Hospital, our highly experienced cancer specialists provide comprehensive immunotherapy treatment to help patients in their journey towards recovery.

For Shifa Breast Cancer Clinic – Kindly Click

Radiation Oncology

Radiation Oncology or Radiotherapy is the treatment of cancerous tissue and benign tumors using radiation. In this treatment method radiation is used to prevent the growth of cancerous cells or to kill them at the locus of treatment. Radiotherapy is a commonly used treatment modality of cancer.

Shifa Cancer Centre has been instrumental in providing radiation therapy services to cancer patients by highly trained doctors and support staff since 1994. Our team of radiation oncologists, radiation physicists & radiation technicians are vastly experienced in offering radiation treatment for cancer patients which includes Simulation, Customized Shielding Blocks, Computerized Treatment Planning, and Port Films for Treatment Verification.

Shifa Cancer Centre is equipped with the latest machinery utilized in performing radiation treatment under the supervision of a highly skilled team. Shifa Cancer Centre offers radiation treatment using

  • 2DRT (Two-dimensional Radiation Therapy) & 3DCRT (Three-dimensional Conformal Radiation Therapy): is a technique in which an increased number of radiation beams are used to improve dose conformation and conventional beam modifiers (e.g., wedges and compensating filters) are used.
  • IMRT (Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy): is an advanced form of 3D CRT. Through IMRT radiation therapy technique non-uniform fluence is delivered to the patient from any given position of the treatment beam using computer-aided optimization to attain certain specified dosimetric and clinical objectives.
  • Arc and Rotational Radiation Therapy: This is a novel rotational intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) technique developed for a clinical linear accelerator that aims to deliver highly conformal radiation treatment using just one arc of gantry rotation.
  • State-of-the-art Linear Accelerator and CT Simulator (Wide Bore): This is used to identify the exact location and size of the area that needs treatment. The wide-bore CT simulator with the increased width of scanning space allows numerous scanning positions and provides a more comfortable, less claustrophobic experience.
  • BrachytherapyBrachytherapy delivers radiation by placing radioactive material either directly inside a tumor or very close to it, sparing healthy tissue. Depending on the placement of the radioactive material, brachytherapy is delivered at a low dose rate during weeks or months, or at a high dose rate during a short period. Types of Cancer Treated with Brachytherapy are Brain Tumors, Skin Cancers, Sarcomas, Cervical Cancer, Head and Neck Cancer& Breast Cancer

    Types of Brachytherapy

    There are three types of brachytherapy:

    High-dose-rate brachytherapy

    High-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy allows a person to be treated for several minutes at a time with a powerful radioactive source that’s put in the applicator. The source is removed after 10 to 20 minutes. This may be repeated twice a day over a few days, or once a day over a few weeks. The radioactive material is not left in your body. The applicator might be left in place between treatments, or it might be put in before each treatment. People getting HDR sometimes stay in the hospital if it involves multiple-day treatments and if the applicator is left in place. There are some special precautions to take after the treatment.

    Low-dose-rate brachytherapy

    In this approach, the implant gives off lower doses of radiation over a longer period. Some implants are left in from 1 to a few days and then removed. You’ll probably have to stay in the hospital, sometimes in a special room, during treatment. For larger implants, you might have to stay in bed and lie still to keep it from moving.

    Permanent brachytherapy: Permanent brachytherapy uses implants called pellets or seeds. These implants are very small, about the size of a grain of rice. Your doctor inserts the seeds directly into a tumor with thin, hollow needles. The seeds are left in place after the radiation has been used up. Their small size causes little or no Brain tumor

Surgical Oncology

Surgical care has been a crucial component when it comes to treating cancer patients. Surgical Oncology at Shifa International Hospital offers the most advance multidisciplinary treatment of primary and metastatic tumors in which our team of specialist doctor work close to ensure comprehensive care for liver, pancreas, abdominal cavity, metastatic colon, appendiceal, sarcomas, and melanomas cancers.

At Shifa International Hospital, our team of surgical oncology offers treatment for

  • Liver Cancer: Shifa Surgical Oncology involves a dedicated team of surgical oncologists, liver transplant surgeons, radiologists, oncologists, nurses, and coordinators for treatment of all kinds of Liver Cancers requiring surgical intervention. We treat all kinds of benign and cancerous liver tumors, cirrhosis, etc.
  • Pancreatic Cancer: A dedicated team of surgical oncologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, radiologists, anesthesiologists, and psychiatrists work in close coordination to provide the best treatment solution for patients and caregivers. Our surgical oncologists are highly experienced in performing all pancreatic surgery procedures
  • HIPEC- Hyperthermic (or Heated) Intraoperative Peritoneal Chemotherapy: Shifa Surgical Oncology program is leading and has the honor of introducing performing HIPEC for the First Time in Pakistan. HIPEC is an alternative and innovative method of delivering chemotherapy, which is commonly used to treat many types of cancer, to the body. Unlike traditional chemotherapy that is delivered intravenously, HIPEC delivers chemotherapy directly into the abdomen making it a good option for cancers that originated in or have spread to the abdominal cavity.

Cancer Diagnostic

Cancer has become a serious and widespread health problem with an ever-increasing incidence that is still fatal despite medical advancements. On the other hand, the good news about fighting cancer is increased awareness of early diagnosis and improvement of tests that allow early diagnosis. Accurate diagnosis is an essential part of deciding how the treatment should be performed. Modern techniques and advanced technology are of paramount importance when performing radiological diagnosis, as well as an experienced radiology staff.

Shifa International Hospital is well equipped with state-of-the-art diagnostic technology and an internationally trained team of experts in diagnosing and treating cancers. At Shifa we offer

  • 3D Hologic Mammography: A mammography device that delivers excellent two and three-dimensional image quality at the lowest required dose with its two-dimensional and multi-slice three-dimensional tomosynthetic imaging capacity, it offers groundbreaking possibilities in the early diagnosis of cancer.
  • 3-Tesla MRI: 3T MRI has a stronger magnet and makes better images of organs and soft tissue than other types of MRI do. It is used to make images of the brain, the spine, the soft tissue of joints, and the inside of bones and blood vessels to detect any cancerous malignancies.
  • Biopsies: Biopsy implies getting a piece of tissue using certain tools with a surgical approach and histopathological examination of the piece. The final diagnosis can be established in the light of biopsy results. At Shifa International Hospital our internationally experienced pathologists are equipped with the most advanced facilities in diagnosing cancers at an early stage.

Hematology / Oncology:

Dr. Saleem Siddiqui
MBBS, DABIMMO, FCCP (USA), FRCP (Canada)
Consultant Oncologist/ Hematologist

Dr. Muhammad Ayaz Mir
MBBS, FACP, DABIM (USA), DABH (USA)
Consultant Oncologist/ Hematologist

Maj. Gen ( R ) Dr. Tariq M. Satti, H.I. (M)
MBBS, FCPS (Pathology), FCPS (Hematology), MCPS, FRCPath (London), DRCPath (UK)
Consultant Oncologist

Dr. Shamsher Ali
MBBS, DABIM, DABH, DABMO (USA)
Consultant Oncologist

Dr. Azhar Shafi
MBBS, FCPS
Consultant Oncologist

Radiation Oncology:

Dr. Muhammad Ali Afridi
MBBS, MD, DABR (USA)
Consultant Oncologist

Dr. Muhammad Furrukh
MBBS,DMRT, FCPS(Radiotherapy), CCST (Clinical Oncology)
Consultant Oncologist

Dr. Asif Masood
MBBS, FCPS (Radiation Oncology)
Consultant Oncologist

Dr. Uzma Qasim
MBBS, FCPS (Radiation Oncology)
Associate Consultant Oncologist

Dr. Hira Asim
MBBS, FCPS Radio Therapy (UK), FRCR Clinical Oncology (UK)
Consultant Oncologist

Dr. Mohammad Salim Khan
MBBS, FFRRCS (IRE), DMRT (UK)
Consultant, Oncologist

Dr. Saud Ghazi
MD, MRCP – Medicine, CCT (Medical Oncology)
Consultant, Oncologist

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