Cancer Care | oncology buddies your guide to cancer care

December 1, 2024 Word for Word Media

Dr Sarita Retief explains what chemo belly is, what it could be caused from, and how it would be treated.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Chemo belly is a non-medical term for discomfort, bloating, and abdominal distension that some people experience when having chemotherapy. Multiple factors can contribute to this feeling and if you feel distressed by this, your oncologist would evaluate the following: 1. Find out what were the baseline symptoms before chemotherapy was started. Did you have any food allergies like gluten or lactose intolerance…

Advocacy What is better – UV clothing or sunscreen?

December 1, 2024 Word for Word Media

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The simple answer is both; Dr Rakesh Newaj, a dermatologist, goes into detail explaining the protective factors of UV clothing and sunscreen

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Protecting yourself from sun exposure is crucial for reducing the risk of skin cancers and minimising photoaging. To help lessen the effects of ultraviolet (UV) rays, infrared light, and visible light, various recommendations are provided. UVB rays (makes up only 5% of the UV rays from the sun, but it’s very high energy) are linked to the development of squamous cell…

Cancer Care Life Oncology

September 19, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Life Oncology is moving oncology care forward so that you can look forward to life’s moments.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

At Life Oncology, part of the Life Healthcare group, our purpose is to make life better. We’re constantly innovating and seeking ways to improve patient care and treatment outcomes. We’ve progressed in how we treat cancers of the brain and spine with new technology that helps us plan and deliver radiation therapy more precisely. New radiation tools This new technology, Brainlab RT Elements, is available at three Life Oncology…

Cancer Care The role of adjuvant chemotherapy

July 31, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Dr Karisha Quarrie, Life Healthcare’s Head of Clinical Directorate, explains the significance of adjuvant chemotherapy, a post-surgery therapy, in safeguarding against cancer recurrence and enhancing survival rates.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Adjuvant chemotherapy, also known as preventative chemotherapy, stands as a vital component in the comprehensive treatment of cancer. This includes the administration of chemotherapeutic agents after the primary treatment, typically surgery, to eliminate any remaining cancer cells and reduce the risk of recurrence. Dr Quarrie clarifies that the term preventative chemotherapy is colloquially used to describe…

Cancer Care Radiotherapy: the powerful and versatile ally

June 2, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Radiotherapy is one of the pillars of cancer treatment. We take an in-depth look at what this treatment modality can achieve.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Radiotherapy, chemotherapy and surgery serve as the cornerstone of cancer treatment, offering hope and healing to millions around the globe. Radiotherapy has the ability to deploy high-energy particles or rays to target and eradicate cancer cells; it represents a powerful weapon in the fight against cancer. Chemotherapy takes a systemic route, deploying powerful drugs to seek out and…

Cancer Care PET-CT scans: moving oncology care forward

April 1, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Technological advancements in cancer diagnostics play a critical role in improving cancer treatment outcomes.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

By precisely determining the location, size, stage and molecular characteristics of tumours, early detection rates of metastatic and recurrent disease can be improved, and advancement in effective personalised therapies can continue. The global increase in cancer-related mortality highlights the urgency of these advancements. Various technologies are utilised in diagnostic radiology, such as X-rays, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and ultrasound (using sound waves), as well as…

Cancer Care Hydration and cancer

February 7, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Melody Fourie reintroduces us to the forgotten but attainable natural medicine: water.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

While most of us practise the ritual of bathing to cleanse the outside of our being, many forget to partake in the discipline of daily hydration as an offering to cleanse the inside of our being. Depriving your body of the clean water it needs for natural bodily functions begins a domino effect of destruction. Days, weeks, months, and even decades of dehydration stress on the body may be the…

Cancer Care The value of the MDT in oncology

February 7, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Dr Shivona Moodley explains what a multi-disciplinary team (MDT) is and how it benefits the oncology patient.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

What is a multi-disciplinary team (MDT)? A multi-disciplinary team (MDT) is a group of healthcare professionals from various disciplines that are involved in cancer management who come together and collaborate with the intention to optimise patient care. The key aims are to improve communication, decision-making and coordination of care. Medical and allied healthcare care professionals engage in a closed forum to discuss each patient’s case,…

Cancer Care Preparing your child for treatment or surgery

July 31, 2023 Word for Word Media

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Fiona Hardie explains the benefits of breathwork when preparing your child for treatment or surgery.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Witnessing a child go through illness and surgery is traumatic and heart-breaking. As parents, you feel powerless, helpless and terrified but try hard to remain stoic and brave in front of them. Imagine their sense of overwhelming fear. How often have you heard someone say “Just breathe” when you’re stressed? There is, however, help in the form of the breath, and it can assist not only your precious child but you too….

Cancer Care Why fevers should be taken seriously in cancer patients

May 31, 2023 Word for Word Media

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Dr Sarita Retief explains why fevers are emergencies in cancer patients and explains the four probable causes.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Fevers are a common and worrisome symptom in cancer patients. Causes can broadly be divided in four categories: Infections during immune suppression after chemotherapy. Other incidental infections. Paraneoplastic fever. Treatment-related fever. A fever is an emergency As an oncologist in training, one of the first lessons you learn, is that fever in an oncology patient, most of the times, constitutes an emergency. This is especially true if the patient had chemotherapy within…

Cancer Care Delirium in cancer care

March 31, 2023 Word for Word Media

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Dr Kerry-Ann Louw expands on why a cancer patient may experience delirium, the causes, treatment and prevention thereof.

You can listen to this article below, or by using your favourite podcast player at pod.link/oncologybuddies

Delirium is a syndrome of brain dysfunction which presents with sudden onset of disturbance of awareness, attention, and cognitive function. Delirium is the most common neuropsychiatric complication we see in patients with cancer. The prevalence rate of delirium is up to 30% on hospital admission and up to 85% in the terminal phase of illness. Delirium is often missed because it has a fluctuating…

Cancer Care The seven types of rest

November 29, 2022 Word for Word Media

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You need more than sleep to restore yourself to the point where you feel well-rested. Prioritise yourself by focusing on getting the right type of rest you need to feel refreshed and re-energised. Rest and play are as vital to our health as nutrition and exercise. – Brené Brown We often complain about being exhausted with no energy to do the things we really want to do. How do we solve this problem? Getting more sleep is not the answer. We think we should be well-rested because we sleep eight hours every night but sleep and rest are not the same thing. According…