Amman, (March 7) Dozens of experts from Europe, the US and Arab countries will converge on Jordan Thursday for a symposium on thoracic cancers, the country’s number one cancer killer, Jordan Times reported Wednesday.

According to the report, the experts, comprising medical and radiation oncologists, thoracic surgeons, radiologists, medicine specialists and investigators, will discuss the latest findings in diagnosis and treatment for thoracic cancers.

They will also get an insight into the changes in treatment paradigms and controversial issues in the management of the small-cell and non-small-cell lung cancer.

There are annually over 200 patients in Jordan who are diagnosed with lung cancer, which constitutes 95 percent of thoracic cancers.

However, Hikmat Abdul Razeq, chief of haematology and medical oncology at Jordan’s King Hussein Cancer Center, warned that the number of cancer patients would go up over the next 10 to 15 years.

“Unfortunately, the current trend of cigarette smoking will eventually cause many future cancer patients,” Abdul Razeq said, explaining that a majority of population of Jordan is under 20 years of age and “toxins the body absorbs from cigarettes could take 20 years to manifest into a disease.”(Xinhua)