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A massive crowd pressed against the entrance of the recently opened Co-ablation Cancer Clinic in Mayo Hospital’s Surgical Tower. Over a dozen people, clutching envelopes of medical reports, jostled to get inside but were held back by the security guard.
The public desperation highlighted the clinic’s overnight celebrity. “I came from Multan to get my sister treated. She has stage-four breast cancer,” said Javed Hussain, a man in his 40s. “She is dying. When we heard about the new technology, we wanted to try it, even if in a last-ditch effort to save her life,” he choked.
The guard, who had refused them entry, explained that the treatment might not be suitable for her condition.
In a hospital already packed to capacity on any given day, the Co-ablation Clinic is always busy, thanks to the massive publicity campaign run by the Punjab government. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz inaugurated the clinic on September 17, underscoring its significance.
Speaking on the occasion, the CM declared that the government will cover treatment expenses for deserving patients. She also said that the Punjab was the first province to introduce the advanced technology for cancer treatment.
Dr Nadeem Ilahi Cheema, additional medical superintendent and the clinic’s administrator, called the project a landmark initiative. He described it as a crucial step for both Pakistan and the Punjab.
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Co-ablation is one of oncology’s most modern treatments. However, it is limited to specific cancer types and stages only. The clinic in Mayo is currently offering treatment for four types of cancers: renal cell carcinoma, hepatocellular carcinoma, lung tumor and breast tumor.
Dr Cheema explained the treatment process. He said that co-ablation “is most effective at stage one, when the tumor is less than three centimetres in size. It is not the treatment of choice if the cancer has metastasised, reaching multiple organs or critically affecting the liver or kidneys.”
The process, a form of cryotherapy, is a marvel of precision. A special probe is inserted directly into the tumour, delivering extreme cold —minus 196 degrees Celcius — to freeze and kill the tumors. This creates an “ice ball” within the body. The process is then reversed: the tissue is rapidly warmed to 70-85 degrees Celcius, turning the mass into a gel-like substance. This cycle of extreme freezing followed by heating effectively destroys the tumour cells. This makes it possible to remove tumours without major surgery.
The system in use — the Al Epic S40 Co-Ablation System — is the latest generation technology that combines cry-oablation and thermal ablation for safer, quicker and more efficient tumor destruction. It’s a two-hour procedure that requires anaesthesia — local or general, depending on the tumor’s location. Its precision can destroy a tumor of up to three centimeters without an open incision.
At the clinic in Mayo, multidisciplinary teams carefully select about five cases per week that meet the stringent criteria. Out of the 250 patients examined so far, only five have undergone the procedure and are reported to be doing well, pending final follow-up tests.
Since the technology is new to Pakistan, trained Chinese engineers have been invited to manage it while local doctors and biomedical engineers are being trained to allow for future expansion.
The treatment is a huge financial relief for the patients. In the private sector, the procedure costs between Rs 2.5-3 million per patient. The machine alone costs around Rs 280 million, and each probe is priced at approximately Rs 1.4 million.
“For the poor, the treatment is 100 percent free,” Dr Cheema says.
The government has allocated special funds to establish co-ablation centres not just at Mayo Hospital but also in Rawalpindi and Multan. With the new Nawaz Sharif Cancer Hospital also expected to feature this technology, Dr Cheema believes the Punjab will soon be among the leading regions in South Asia for advanced cancer treatment.
Ahsan Raza is the editor of Minute Mirror.He can be reached atahsanbudhhotmail.com