Israel’s Sheba Medical Center Launches Humanitarian Mission to Nigeria to Treat Children with Eye Cancer and Retinoblastoma

RAMAT GAN, Israel – January 9, 2022 –  Sheba Medical Center, Israel’s largest medical center and a Newsweek top-10 ranked world’s best hospital for the last four years, yesterday launched an humanitarian mission to Ilorin, Nigeria. The five-day mission is dedicated to improving health outcomes for pediatric eye cancer patients in the area and to increasing the capacity for long-term quality optical care in southern Nigeria.

The mission is part of Sheba’s Global Impact initiative, which is dedicated to building bridges to prosperity through healthcare, innovating to implement cutting-edge health solutions globally, and fostering critical relationships to strengthen fragile healthcare systems.

With an estimated 1 in 15,000 Nigerian children inflicted with pediatric ocular cancer, the Sheba mission will focus on treating children with retinoblastoma, which can be deadly if not caught early. The team, consisting of five specialists led by Prof. Ido Didi Fabian, an ocular oncology specialist at the Goldschleger Eye Institute of Sheba Medical Center, will treat patients and establish an intra-arterial chemotherapy center to provide ongoing care for eye cancer patients in the region.

“Intra-arterial chemotherapy is a highly effective treatment modality that can make a significant difference in the outcome of cancer treatment, and it is something that we have a lot of experience with at Sheba,” said Prof. Ido Didi Fabian. “Together with my Sheba colleagues, I am honored to have the opportunity to share our knowledge and skills with our local colleagues in Nigeria and to work together to treat infants with this life-saving treatment.”

Intra-arterial chemotherapy is a treatment option for certain types of cancer that involves delivering chemotherapy directly to the tumor through a catheter inserted into an artery. This method allows for higher doses of chemotherapy to be delivered directly to the tumor, while minimizing the exposure of healthy tissue to the chemotherapy drugs.

“Sheba’s commitment and dedication to extending a hand to those in need across the globe is a fundamental guiding principle for us,” said Yoel Har-Even, Director of the International Division & Resource Development, Sheba Global, at Sheba Medical Center. “The mission to Nigeria will feature some of the most talented physicians we can offer, enabling us to not only treat many patients but to also sow the seeds for future advancement in the region. There is a great sense of pride to be able contribute to humankind and offer hope without boundaries.”

Sheba Medical Center is committed to improving health equity in developing regions and impacting healthcare globally. Through missions like this one and previous efforts in Eastern Europe and South America, Sheba has worked to extend a helping hand to those in need and improve the standard of care around the world.

Photos of the mission are available here.