According to the National Cancer Registry’s (NCR) latest published statistics (2019), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) ranks as the fifth most common cancer in South African women. Impact of HIV In the South African context, no discussion on lymphoma is complete without discussing the impact of HIV. Persons infected with HIV are at an increased risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The NCR statistics clearly shows a steady increase in NHL cases in females from 2001 to 2019. Of note is that the age-specific incidence rates reflect a shift of non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases to younger patient groups (less than 60 years). This likely reflects the demographics of persons living with HIV…

Uterine cancer is the fourth common cancer that affects South African women. It affects mainly women over 50 but can occur in younger women. The majority of women who get this cancer are post-menopausal.  The risk factors are being overweight, diabetic, and hypertensive, or in a tiny number of patients who are on tamoxifen for breast cancer. It’s caused by having too much oestrogen with not enough progesterone. Oestrogen can be made in fat cells that’s why being overweight is a risk factor. A hereditary form of endometrial cancer (a type of uterine cancer) called Lynch syndrome can occur in younger women who…

Colorectal cancer is cancer of the large intestine including the colon and rectum. According the most recent National Cancer Registry (NCR) data from 2019, there were 1 952 new cases of colorectal cancer diagnosed in females accounting for 4,46% of cancer cases in females. Diagnosis Any cancer needs a histological diagnosis. Although the primary tumour may be palpable with a rectal examination, seen on CT scan or visible on colonoscopy, a biopsy is needed to confirm the diagnosis. The excised tissue is sent to a laboratory where the histopathologist will comment on the type of cancer. The staging and molecular…

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, but it kills more women yearly than breast cancer. It’s caused by the human papillomavirus, a widespread virus that most sexually active women will get. It is, however, whether the virus hangs around in the vagina, persists and integrates into the cervix, and then causes cancer with time. Diagnosis If cervical cancer develops, it will usually present with a persistent abnormal discharge and bleeding. This bleeding can be precipitated by sexual intercourse.  If persistent bleeding occurs, a pelvic examination and inspection of the cervix must be done. This is done with a particular instrument, called a speculum,…

Even though breast cancer is the most common cancer in South African women, breast cancer treatment has evolved over the last 50 years, from a disease treated mainly in the hands of the surgeon to now being a showcase for multi-disciplinary team management. Advancement in the understanding of oncological care has resulted in swings from large radical surgery (mastectomy) to breast-conserving surgery (lumpectomy). Greater understanding of tumour biology (behaviour of cancer cells) has seen tremendous strides in the use of oncological drugs that target the cancer cell specifically, and a paradigm shift around understanding cancer spread. Diagnosis Clinical assessment breast examinations involve not…