Transforming cancer care with innovative technology

ASIAN HOSPITAL AND SCANDINAVIAN COMPANY CHEMOTECH ENVISION A NEW CENTER OF EXCELLENCE

THE ASIAN Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC) and the Scandinavian company ChemoTech AB have undertaken a cooperation agreement to establish a Center of Excellence for doctors in the Philippines for the use of IQWave Dynamic Electro-chemotherapy. It is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia and aims to train and license physicians in the treatment of cancer using IQWave. The new Center of Excellence, located at the 2nd Floor Tower 2 of the Asian Hospital, was launched on Feb. 13, 2017.

AHMC president and CEO Andres Licaros, Jr, and AHMC Asian Cancer Institute director Dr. Corazon Ngelangel, who is leading the project, share ChemoTech’s vision to make innovative cancer care more available to the public to help thousands of suffering cancer patients in the Philippines.

“The AHMC commitment also opens the opportunity to collaborate in research and development of future applications and technologies in ChemoTech’s business,” says ChemoTech CEO Mohan Frick.

“Electro-chemotherapy is a new method for the local treatment of cutaneous and subcutaneous metastases. If surgery or radiotherapy are no longer possible, this innovative technology can be used effectively for local tumor control, and we do have such patients in the Philippines who would benefit accordingly. Electrochemotherapy is a combination of electroporation and low-dose chemotherapy. Electroporation causes increased permeability allowing cytostatic agents to cross the cell membrane and then enter into the cytosol by diffusion and at much higher concentrations, leading to increased cytotoxicity. This innovative treatment improves the quality of life of patients, with resultant local tumor control,” says Ngelangel.

At the new Center of Excellence, doctors will be trained and certified in the use of Dynamic Electrochemotherapy with IQWave, which, for now, is offered to palliate patients with breast, head and neck cancer. Through a Memorandum of Understanding, AHMC and ChemoTech have agreed on the direction the collaboration will take. The first step includes training and certification of doctors and nurses at AHMC by experts from the India Electro-chemotherapy Center of Excellence, followed by a non-profit compassionate program at AHMC. Successful technology transfer and technology capability building with the IQWave treatment modality will be followed by an AHMC-ACI Electro-Chemotherapy Patient Service, Training and Development program.

“Asian Hospital lives to its promise as a seat of global expertise with a Filipino heart, as once more, AHMC embarks as a Center of Excellence for Electro-chemotherapy, bringing an innovative oncology service to Filipino and Asian patients,” says Licaros.

AHMC, as the Electrochemotherapy Center of Excellence, is also offering to assist other hospitals in the Philippines and Southeast Asia in training their doctors and nurses to bring the innovative service to their cancer patients.