King Hussein Cancer Center
Amman, Jordan

King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) is the only specialized cancer center in the Middle East treating both adult and pediatric patients. Founded in 1997, KHCC is a non-governmental, not-for-profit comprehensive center dedicated entirely to cancer care. It has a capacity of 148 beds and currently treats more than 2300 new patients per year.

The original name of KHCC was Al-Amal Cancer Center. In November 2002, their Royal Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania unveiled the center’s new name, King Hussein Cancer Center in recognition of the late King Hussein.

Being the only regional comprehensive cancer center, approximately 75% of patients seeking medical care at KHCC are from Jordan and 25% from neighboring countries in the Middle East.

The TELESYNERGY® system at King Hussein Cancer Center was developed by the Center for Information Technology (CIT) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland, in collaboration with staff of the Radiation Oncology Branch (ROB) at the United States National Cancer Institute (NCI), also located in Bethesda, Maryland. Designed to provide for the high-resolution display of medical images, the TELESYNERGY® system includes a mechanism to allow real-time interaction between cancer specialists and clinicians, facilitate professional education and training, and permit consultation in cancer research protocols and patient care between the KHCC and selected sites in the United States, such as the NIH Bethesda campus, and elsewhere in the world.

Installed in January, 2004, the King Hussein Cancer Center TELESYNERGY® system includes not only an installation in the main telemedicine conference room, but also an adjacent patient exam room and the audio/video control room for the hospital's main auditorium. This could allow a doctor in the United States to interact with a patient in the exam room, or a researcher in Ireland to participate in a lecture in the auditorium. Installation of the equipment marks a major step forward in Jordan's capability to collaborate with researchers in the United States and elsewhere to fight cancer.

Equipment installed at this site: Full TELESYNERGY® system using NIH software on a Sun Workstation.