King Hussein
Cancer Center,
Amman, Jordan

King Hussein Cancer Center is the only comprehensive cancer center in the Middle East. In addition to specific treatment, the Center offers psychological counseling, patient support, education of families of cancer patients, and after-therapy care.

As the second major cause of death in Jordan, cancer poses a great challenge to all healthcare institutions to improve cancer education, prevention, early detection and treatment. In the year 2002, the Jordan National Cancer Registry recorded 3,430 new cases of cancer. The crude incidence rate of all cancers among Jordanians was 64.4 cases per 100,000 people. Among adult males, colorectal cancer was the most common cancer, accounting for 11.5% of all adult male cancers. Other leading cancers in adult males included bladder, lung, leukemia and prostate. Among females, the most common malignancy was breast, accounting for 30% of all adult female cancers. Among children, the most common malignancy reported for both genders was leukemia, accounting for 36% of all cancers, followed by brain/spinal tumors and lymphomas. Currently, the top ten cancers, by site, in the Jordanian population, regardless of gender and age are: breast, colorectal, leukemia (including multiple myeloma), lymphoma, lung, urinary bladder, stomach, prostate, thyroid and brain/CNS.

There are two obvious risk factors in Jordan. The first is the prevalence of tobacco use, especially ubiquitous among males and quite common among females. The second is the social shame still associated with cancer within the Jordanian culture, which leads to reluctance to accept the diagnosis and undergo treatment.

The Jordanian government is well aware of the impact of cancer on its people, and is taking steps to build public awareness for cancer prevention, early detection and treatment. The National Cancer Registry provides data on the incidence of cancer in Jordan, helping to shape public health policies in general and cancer management in particular. Although several hospitals and clinics in Jordan accept and treat cancer patients, King Hussein Cancer Center is the only specialized cancer center for the treatment of adult and pediatric cancer patients in Jordan and is now considered the primary referral hospital for the government of Jordan. KHCC plays a major role in the shaping of national objectives in the fight against cancer.

Institutional History

In the early 1990s, Jordanians were offered fragmented cancer treatment and care at a selected number of local hospitals. Patients who were fortunate enough to have a choice elected to seek medical attention abroad because of greater confidence in the standard of care.

The need for a local cancer center offering comprehensive care at an international level became increasingly urgent. In 1991, fundraising was initiated and donations from the citizens of Jordan and other nationals, a grant from the Dutch government, and a loan from the Islamic Bank in Jeddah were key contributions that led to the establishment of Al Amal Center as a non-governmental not-for-profit organization. The Center treated its first patient on January 11, 1997.

King Hussein Cancer Foundation, the legal umbrella for the Center, forged a cooperative agreement in September 2002 with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in Maryland, USA, for the purpose of enhancing medical sciences and improving cancer patient care in the entire Middle East.

In November 2002, their Royal Majesties King Abdullah II and Queen Rania Al-Abdullah unveiled the Center’s new name, King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC), in recognition of the late King Hussein who fought a courageous battle with the disease. Samir Khleif, MD, an internationally recognized oncologist and senior cancer researcher at NCI, assumed the position of Director General and Chief Executive Officer of KHCC.

Since then, numerous innovative and comprehensive programs have been implemented. The Center serves an increasing number of international patients from the region, and currently treats more than 2,800 new patients each year. With KHCC on target to gain accreditation in 2006 by the Joint Commission for International Accreditation, the Center is reaping the benefits of hospital-wide accreditation orientation and education. The Quality Assurance Department is overseeing policies and procedures for all departments, and active committees, chapter leaders and standard owners are guiding the Center towards greater efficiency.

Our Work

Through its collaboration with the National Cancer Registry of Jordan, the KHCC has developed a hospital-based registry to enhance the information collected nationally through a specialized computerized coding system. This has positive implications for epidemiological and clinical research, for understanding the causes of cancer that may be peculiar to the region, and for developing national cancer prevention and control plans.

KHCC collaborates with several international partners including St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Johns Hopkins Hospital. The aim is to exchange expertise, counsel and clinical consultations in order to provide a higher standard of care.

We have adopted a new team approach to cancer care with the establishment of multimodality clinics, in which a treatment plan is identified for each patient by a group of no fewer than three specialists. Each clinic includes a medical oncologist, a surgical oncologist and a radiation oncologist, in addition to other specialized physicians needed for the particular treatment. The seven established multimodality clinics at KHCC are bone marrow transplantation, breast, gastro-intestinal, lung, head and neck, neurooncology and sarcoma.

Recognizing that prevention is the best medicine, KHCC has established three awareness clinics: the Diet Clinic, the Lifestyle Clinic and the Stop-Smoking Clinic. KHCC runs screening clinics for breast, cervical, prostate, testicular, skin and colorectal cancers.

KHCC’s bone marrow transplantation program offers hope to adult and pediatric patients suffering from aggressive and recurrent cancers and other catastrophic illnesses.
The BMT unit has the facility to collect, process, store and infuse stem cells, as well as the medical knowledge and expertise to offer the specialized after-care that is vital for the success of the transplantation.

Medical Resources Total Beds 130 Beds Devoted to Cancer Care All Nurses 300 Dedicated Oncology Nurses 230 Pathologists 2 Oncologists   - Medical Oncologists 6 - Radiotherapists 6 - Radiologists 3 - Pediatric Oncologists 8 - Specialized Surgical Oncologists 3 Oncologists in Training 29 General and Specialist Surgeons 8 CT Scanner 1 MRI Scanner 1 Cobalt Radiotherapy Unit None Linear Accelerator Units 4 Patients in 2004   Total Patients 2,898 Total Outpatients 45,523 Adult Cancer Patients 2,237 Pediatric Cancer Patients 377

The Center offers residency and fellowship programs that apply the latest international clinical care standards. Numerous specialized medical conferences are organized and hosted by KHCC with local, regional and international speakers and participants, thereby merging global knowledge in the field of cancer. With the support of INCTR, KHCC is planning to hold the first regional workshop on clinical trials and data management.

Contributed by Faris Madanat, KHCC, and Marcia Landskroener for INCTR