As a doctor and pathologist, Dr. A. Marcell Szasz has committed his life to improving the health and wellbeing of others. As a participant of the Hungarian-American Enterprise Scholarship Fund (HAESF) and the Fulbright program, Dr. Szasz further honed his life-saving research and leadership skills. In addition to working on his scientific research projects, Dr. Szasz focused on observing local clinical cases, attending clinicopathological rounds, and participating in his host institution’s daily meetings, presentations, and education sessions.

Dr. Szasz credits his exchange experiences with positively impacting both his professional and personal life explaining, “since returning to Hungary, I routinely call upon not just the technical knowledge I gained as an exchange scholar in the United States, but also the personal experiences from my daily life there to inform, shape, and benefit my collaboration and interaction with my family and friends, patients, colleagues, and mentored students.”

When he returned from his Fulbright program, Dr. Szasz utilized the knowledge and skills he gained to re-train all medical students working on breast cancer research in tissue and sample collection procedures. The new procedures he introduced ensure the collection of more viable samples, less pain for patients, and more successful research results in his work on breast cancer prevention. Together with his supervised PhD students, Dr. Szasz has also initiated a comprehensive registry of data for breast cancer patients to define prognostic factors in a much more effective way than previously available. The registry allows oncology centers to tailor treatment options for each individual patient.  

Between conducting life-saving research and working with his patients, Dr. Szasz still finds time to play an active role in the alumni community and to educate and inspire the next generation. A firm believer in transparency and public education, he regularly works to educate people about medicine, pathology, and research. Seizing upon the opportunity to give back to the alumni community and to inspire youth, Dr. Szasz presented to a local high school in March 2015 as part of the “Meet the Scientist” Program, a joint initiative of the U.S. Embassy Budapest and the Hungarian Association for Innovation. Dr. Szasz considers his role as a mentor as one of the most exciting challenges in his career as a scientist, and appreciates any opportunity to educate and inspire young people about STEM.

As a scientist with international experience through the HAESF and Fulbright programs, and with his multidisciplinary approach to work, Dr. Szasz continues to focus on international collaboration and joint projects. He believes that this kind of international cooperation provides greater perspective and more research inspiration. Dr. Szasz’s commitment to international collaboration, and his devotion to inspiring the next generation of potential scientists, could lead to life-saving breakthroughs impacting the lives of individuals around the globe.

Read more stories like this on ourwebsite. 

On World Cancer Day, cancer treatment still free in Syria despite sanctions and high costs

Damascus, SANA – At the eve of World Cancer Day, which is marked on February 4th, figures show the growing burden cancer is placing on the world, with 18 million new cases and more than 9 million fatalities, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The latest estimations of the Agency suggest that one out of five men and one out of six women in the world will suffer from cancer during their lifetime, and one out of eight men and one out of eleven women will lose their lives due to the disease.

Despite the rising costs of treatments and the difficulties caused by the economic sanctions imposed on Syria, the Syrian health sector continues to provide free treatment services to cancer patients, including diagnosis, management, and follow-up, with the main challenge being the fact that many patients begin treatment at late stages of the disease due to various psychological or social causes.

One of the Health Ministry’s ten centers that provide free cancer treatment is Ibn al-Nafees Hospital in Damascus, which opened an oncology department in 2016 that provides surgical, chemo, hormonal, and immune therapy.

Dr. Nidal Khedr, head of the oncology department at Ibn al-Nafees, said the department has treated around 4,500 patients since its opening, at a rate of 90-100 patients and 40-60 doses per day.

Khedr said the patients who need radiation therapy are referred to Al-Bairouni University Hospital, while other services such as diagnosis, testing, and consultations are provided for free at the department.

Syria imports all types of oncology medicine, and according to Khedr the cost of treating cancer patients differs according to the type, location, characteristics, and stage of the tumor, with the least costly doses ranging from SYP 20,000 to 50,000, while some doses might cost around SYP 1.5 each, and some patients could require such doses every three weeks.

He went on to note that the most common and deadly types of cancer in Syria are lung, colon, and breast cancer, which is similar to the rest of the world.

Khedr stressed the need for raising awareness about the importance of early diagnosis of certain types of cancer, like breast, cervix, lung, and prostate cancers as this would reduce the time of treatment and increase the likelihood of recovery.

In addition to Damascus, the Health Ministry’s cancer treatment centers are located in Aleppo, Hama, Sweida, Tartous, and Homs.