Despite Lincoln Chipembere having to delay his wedding due to a testicular cancer diagnosis, he took it in his stride with the extraordinary support of his fiancé. Lincoln Chipembere (29) lives in Midrand, Gauteng. Symptoms Last year May, Lincoln noticed swelling of one of his testicles, so he went to a GP. The doctor asked him if [...]

The last winner of our Exceptional Nurse Competition is Sister Tienie Ackermann from Dr Dino Chetty, Clinical and Radiation Oncologist. She was nominated by metastatic breast cancer patient, Romana James. The patient Romana James (30) lives in Pretoria with her husband and two children, aged 5 and 3. In life, you can meet someone new [...]

Cancer Heroes, a support group for head and neck cancer (HNC) patients and their families, inform us of the common questions that are asked by patients. What is HNC? HNC is a grouping of regional cancer incidents collectively known as head and neck cancer. They most commonly start with abnormal and uncontrolled growth of the squamous [...]

Integrated School Health Programme Manager, National Department of Health, Feni Motshwane, details the success of the HPV school-based vaccine campaign thus far. When did the HPV school-based vaccine campaign start? The human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination campaign was introduced in SA, in March 2014, in the public health sector.  This school-based vaccination campaign was launched by the [...]

Thanks to a successful joint prostate brachytherapy training workshop with Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital (CMJAH) Department of Radiation Oncology and Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) Urology Unit last year, this year 50 early prostate cancer patients will be treated with prostate brachytherapy at CHBAH. The first of the planned workshops was conducted in [...]

Oncology pharmacist, Lailaa Cajee, helps us understand the importance of drug safety in the home. The development of numerous oral chemotherapy drugs (OCDs) has led to a new paradigm in cancer treatment. In 1995, there were only six oral chemotherapy drugs. This number grew to a whopping 90 in 2018. It’s estimated that more than 25% of [...]

Professor Gita Naidu explains the various challenges that are faced in paediatric stem cell transplantation. Stem cell therapy has become a very promising and advanced scientific research topic. Multi-potent haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is the most popular stem cell therapy and is used to eliminate blood diseases that infiltrate the bone marrow, such as leukaemia, or to correct [...]

Social worker, Avril de Beer, expands on how language (words and metaphors) can inspire or disempower cancer patients. “When I use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean – neither more nor less.” “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you can make words [...]

Dr Daleen Geldenhuys describes how testicular cancer becomes metastatic and the treatment thereof. Testicular germ cell tumours, broadly classified into seminomas and non-seminomas, are among the most curable cancers, with five-year survival rates of approximately 95%. Men with advanced disease are classified into good-, intermediate-, and poor-risk groups. The grouping considers the site of the primary [...]

Kevin and Donna Dudley’s nine years of marriage has been filled with an ectopic pregnancy, fertility difficulties, and a cancer diagnosis. Yet, they have three gorgeous children. Kevin (43) and Donna Dudley (38) live in Gauteng with their three children: Dylan (6), Leila (3) and Mathew (1). Ectopic pregnancy Donna had an unfortunate ectopic pregnancy in 2014. “It [...]

What does fitness mean to you? Biokineticist, Wendy Vermaak, explains the 12 principles of fitness to help you measure your fitness. There are many examples of what we would deem as fit and we often measure ourselves against that standard.  If you are fighting a cancer diagnosis, undergoing treatment or recovering from treatment, your view of fitness might [...]

Jamie Naidoo, a haematology nurse at Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital (IALCH), tells us why working in the state sector is the perfect fit for her. Jamie (Deloshini) Naidoo (44) lives in Chatsworth, Kwa-Zulu Natal with her husband and two sons (10 and 16).  Jamie has been a professional nurse (oncology trained) for 16 years. She currently […]