Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi advances breast cancer care in the UAE

Breast cancer remains one of the most pressing health challenges of our time. Globally, one in eight women will be diagnosed with the disease in her lifetime. The World Health Organisation estimates that it is the second most common cancer worldwide, with 2.3 million new cases reported in 2022. It is also the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, representing 15.4 per cent of female cancer mortality.

The UAE mirrors this global issue. In 2023, 1,456 new breast cancer cases were reported, representing 20.5 per cent of all newly diagnosed cancers and more than a third of those affecting women, according to the Ministry of Health and Prevention.

Responding to this critical need, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, opened the Fatima Bint Mubarak Center in 2023, a dedicated cancer facility that has already recorded more than 82,000 patient visits. Modeled on Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Center in the United States, it brings together genetic testing, advanced diagnostics, targeted therapies, and surgical expertise under one roof. In close collaboration with its partners, the center is strengthening local capacity for early detection and treatment to meet the UAE’s population-specific needs.

Today, breast cancer risk mapping is a powerful tool that identifies women carrying inherited genetic mutations that increase their likelihood of developing the disease. At Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, the Hereditary High-Risk Program is reshaping preventive care and patient awareness, aligned with national genomic screening efforts.

Women with mutations such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, or those with a strong family history of cancer, can take proactive steps, including enhanced monitoring or surgery. The programme also offers genetic counselling and personalised risk plans, helping patients make informed decisions.

However, advanced imaging now stands at the front line of breast cancer detection, identifying tumors before symptoms appear and improving survival outcomes. Advanced image-guided biopsies now allow physicians to pinpoint suspicious lesions with precision. The Breast Imaging Suite, comprising of dedicated female specialists, offers a comprehensive range of technologies, including 3D mammography, breast MRI, MRI-guided biopsy, digital breast density analysis, and computer-aided detection (CAD).

Yet true innovation lies in the integration of imaging with genetic risk profiles. Screening has evolved from a single test into a continuum of care, transforming early detection into a proactive, life-saving strategy that lays the foundation for world-class, personalised treatment.

Every breast cancer diagnosis at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is guided by a coordinated, multidisciplinary plan tailored to each patient’s tumor biology, which can include genetic risk and personal circumstances. Detection informs treatment, allowing surgeons, oncologists, and radiologists to act with precision from the very start.

The hospital continues to pioneer the UAE-first surgical advancements, including the nation’s first robotic mastectomy to reduce trauma and speed recovery. It also became the first to introduce preventive bypass surgery for lymphedema, a condition that affects one in five post-operative breast cancer patients.

Since its opening, the center has completed nearly 800 breast cancer surgeries, ranging from complex tumor resections to reconstructive procedures, highlighting the hospital’s leading role within the region’s healthcare system.

Innovation at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi extends beyond the operating room. Chemotherapy and immunotherapy target cancer cells system-wide, while precision radiation therapies, including intensity-modulated and image-guided radiation, deliver high doses to tumors while protecting healthy tissue. The introduction of AI-driven adaptive radiotherapy, the first of its kind in the UAE, allows treatments to adjust in real time to daily anatomical changes, while shifting to safer and more precise treatments.

Comprehensive support and post-treatment wellness are embedded into the continuum through the hospital’s Lifestyle Medicine Programme. Programmes in fitness, nutrition, and stress management help patients recover and regain control over their lives.

The Fatima Bint Mubarak Center’s Tumor Board brings together experts across specialties to co-design personalised care plans for each patient. Led by Dr Stephen Grobmyer, Institute Chief and Breast Surgeon at the Cancer Institute, the programme has recorded an average annual increase of 25 per cent in new patients over the years. It is supported by a multidisciplinary team of highly skilled caregivers, including breast surgeons, radiation and medical oncologists, radiologists, pathologists, reconstructive surgeons, specialised nurses, genetic counsellors, and physical therapists. Together, they form a model of world-class expertise that defines Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s ongoing breast cancer revolution, a commitment to innovation and patient-first care delivered with compassion, close to home.

Through research and innovation, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi is shaping the next era of breast cancer treatment. It is the GCC’s first hospital to join a global clinical trial investigating a new Selective Estrogen Receptor Degrader (SERD), a therapy with the potential to redefine how breast cancer recurrence is prevented.

With a commitment to next-generation precision medicine, the hospital is piloting BioTwin’s virtual human twin technology, which uses AI, biomarkers, and advanced analytics to create digital replicas of patients, enhancing early detection, predicting disease progression, and tailoring personalised interventions for each patient.

As an official teaching hospital, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi continues to advance medical education through high-level symposia such as International Breast Cancer Symposium, reinforcing its status as a global leader in research and knowledge exchange.

In one of the region’s most ambitious healthcare projects, the hospital will soon be home to the country’s first heavy-ion therapy facility, one of only 15 worldwide and within a five-hour flight of the UAE. It will serve both local and regional patients, marking a significant milestone in cancer treatment innovation.

Together, these initiatives are positioning Abu Dhabi as a regional hub for advanced cancer research and care, with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi at the heart of that transformation.

This October, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the hospital continues to champion a vital message: early detection saves lives. Through every screening, research breakthrough, and patient success, the hospital is redefining breast cancer care, thus raising the standard of excellence for the UAE and the wider region.

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