Dr. Layla Nasereddin

Dr. Layla Nasereddin is a senior consultant medical oncologist at King Hussein Cancer Center (KHCC) in Amman — the region's leading dedicated cancer center and a JCI-accredited institution that serves patients from across the Arab world. KHCC is Jordan's primary destination for patients from Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Yemen, Libya, and the broader Arab diaspora who require oncology care at a level not available in their home countries. Dr. Nasereddin's work at this institution carries deep humanitarian significance alongside its clinical demands.

With 20 years at KHCC, Dr. Nasereddin has developed comprehensive expertise in gastrointestinal, lung, breast, and head and neck cancers. She applies evidence-based systemic therapy including chemotherapy, targeted agents, and immune checkpoint inhibitors, while maintaining a strong commitment to palliative oncology — ensuring that symptom burden is addressed throughout the cancer care continuum, not only at end of life.

Dr. Nasereddin is a leader in KHCC's international patient program, which coordinates cancer care for patients who travel from conflict-affected countries often with incomplete medical records, delayed diagnoses, and interrupted prior treatment. She has developed expertise in rapidly staging patients de novo and constructing safe and effective treatment plans under these challenging circumstances.

Her bilingual fluency in Arabic and English ensures clear communication with a patient population drawn from across the Arab world. She is also a committed educator who trains oncology residents and nurses at KHCC and participates in Jordan's national cancer control program.

Dr. Nasereddin earned her MBBS from the Jordan University of Science and Technology Faculty of Medicine. She completed Internal Medicine residency at the University of Jordan Hospital and undertook a Medical Oncology Fellowship at the Institut Gustave Roussy in Villejuif, France — one of Europe's premier cancer research and treatment centres. She subsequently completed a focused Gastrointestinal Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York — one of the world's most renowned cancer centres. She holds the FRCR designation and maintains ESMO certification. She has completed ESMO palliative care and communication skills training. Her training pathway at two of the world's leading cancer centres — Gustave Roussy and Memorial Sloan Kettering — reflects an exceptionally high standard of oncology education.

Dr. Nasereddin's primary clinical focus is gastrointestinal oncology, encompassing colorectal, gastric, hepatocellular, pancreatic, and oesophageal cancers. She is experienced in the use of FOLFOX, FOLFIRI, FLOT, and other combination regimens, and integrates KRAS, NRAS, BRAF, MSI, and HER2 molecular profiling into treatment selection for colorectal and gastric cancers. In lung cancer, she manages both NSCLC and SCLC, prescribing EGFR/ALK/ROS1-directed targeted therapies and immunotherapy for eligible patients. She also manages breast, head and neck, and unknown primary cancers. Her palliative oncology practice addresses pain management, nausea, cachexia, and goals-of-care conversations using an interdisciplinary team approach. She coordinates with radiation oncology, surgical oncology, and hepatology within KHCC's multidisciplinary tumour boards.

Dr. Nasereddin has published in Annals of Oncology, the Journal of Global Oncology, and the Saudi Medical Journal on topics including colorectal cancer molecular epidemiology in Arab populations and palliative care integration in a Middle Eastern cancer center. She participates in KHCC's active clinical trials program, which includes cooperative trials with international oncology groups. She is a faculty member at the Jordan Oncology Society annual meeting and the ESMO Middle East Oncology Conference.

KHCC has a dedicated International Patient Services department and is accustomed to receiving patients from conflict-affected countries across the Arab world including Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Libya. Dr. Nasereddin is a primary contact for international oncology patients and is experienced rapidly re-staging patients who arrive with limited prior documentation. She provides written second-opinion reports for patients who wish to confirm their diagnosis and treatment plan. Video pre-consultation is available to help patients determine whether travel to Amman is appropriate before making the journey. KHCC's international services team assists with visa letters, accommodation, and insurance coordination, and Dr. Nasereddin coordinates with the hospital's translators for patients who communicate in dialects other than Jordanian Arabic.

Dr. Nasereddin has received the King Hussein Cancer Foundation Humanitarian Service Award for her work with patients displaced by conflict in neighbouring countries. She holds the KHCC Clinical Excellence Award in Oncology and is recognized by the Jordan Oncology Society for her contributions to gastrointestinal cancer care in the region. She received the ESMO Young Oncologist Award for her early-career research on colorectal cancer molecular epidemiology in the Arab population, and has been invited as a faculty member at the ESMO Middle East Oncology Conference for her expertise in GI oncology and molecular tumour profiling.