Dietitian, Berna Harmse, educates us on nutritional status and the outcome of cancer, and offers tips for nausea. Being diagnosed with cancer is a devastating event, and most people living with cancer, experience the day they get the news as a life-changing moment. Even after working in the field of oncology nutrition for 18 years, [...]

Dr Daleen Geldenhuys educates us on what synovial sarcoma is, the two types you get, the causes, treatment and prognosis. Synovial sarcoma is a soft tissue tumour. It’s rare overall but more common in certain age groups. About one to three people in a million receive a diagnosis of this disease each year.  Synovial sarcoma [...]

Emma-Liegh Riggien shares how she underwent limb-saving surgery when she was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma at age 15. Emma-Liegh Riggien (28) lives in Hillcrest, Kwa-Zulu Natal. Diagnosed at 15 Emma was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma when she was 15 years old. “For 18 months prior to being diagnosed, I couldn’t straighten my left arm but we [...]

Prof Gita Naidu describes the most common cancers found in adolescents. The incidence of cancer is rising among adolescents; the cause of the increase is unknown. Annually approximately 5000-6000 adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year in the US, with 500-600 adolescent deaths. Cancer SEER data revealed an increase of 0.67% for males and 0.62% [...]

Rainbows and Smiles, an NGO that is dedicated to supporting children with cancer, shares the frequently asked questions when a child is diagnosed with leukaemia. What is childhood leukaemia? Leukaemia or blood cancer occurs when there is an overgrowth of abnormal white cells. These leukaemia cells grow to the point that they eventually consume and destroy the normal bone [...]

Avril de Beer shares tips for both parent and child for managing school or university during treatment. Teenagers and young adults have left childhood behind, but they are not fully matured adults. At this stage of their lives, they are striving for autonomy from their parents while making plans for their future. Being diagnosed with cancer is an overwhelming experience; it may feel as if your entire world has been turned upside [...]

Gabriella Kourie tells us how she dealt with the diagnosis of Hodgkin lymphoma at age 19 and what she learnt from it. Gabriella Kourie (26) lives in Johannesburg, Gauteng and recently got engaged. Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) Gabi was nearing the end of her first year of studies in BSc (occupational therapy) when she [...]

We hear how 18-year-old Lucy* underwent fertility preservation after being diagnosed with dysgerminoma of the right ovary when she was 15, under the advice of her mother. Lucy (18) stays in Johannesburg, Gauteng with her parents. She is currently in her Matric year. Dysgerminoma of the right ovary In July 2019, 15-year-old Lucy noticing a swelling in her stomach. She thought she was bloated but by September it was even more swollen [...]

June was National Blood Donor Month; and, 17-month-old Mackenzie “Mighty Mack” Friedman’s family is sharing her incredible story to encourage you to regularly donate blood and to register as a bone marrow stem cell donor. In May 2022, Mackenzie was declared cancer free. She reached this incredible milestone just over a year after she was diagnosed [...]

The survival of oncology in SA was under the spotlight at a recent conference hosted by Icon Oncology in Cape Town.  Attended by more than 700 cancer care providers, which included clinical, pharmaceutical and technology partners, the conference was dedicated to debate the sustainability of private oncology in the country.  Readiness for public private partnerships to […]