Within the healthcare environment there are so many technologies emerging, it is often hard to tell which options are safe or effective. At Mediclinic Durbanville, the da Vinci robotic surgery is proving its worth in terms of improved patient outcomes. When talking to Dr Gawie Bruwer, a urologist at Mediclinic Durbanville who has been using the da Vinci since 2014, we can easily detect the excitement with which he speaks about the results being achieved. From the quicker recovery after the less invasive procedure to the more accurate diagnosis of the cancer progression, the patients being treated with this robot…

Treatment of prostate cancer continues to advance in leaps and bounds every year, however, according to Dr Anesh Naidoo, who practises at Netcare Blaauwberg Hospital in Cape Town, for those cases in which the cancer is still localised to the prostate itself, radical prostatectomy – in which the prostate is surgically removed – has the highest success rate of all the treatment options. “Studies have shown prostatectomy success rates of between 76% to 98% for low risk disease; 60% to 76% for moderate risk disease; and 30% to 76% for high risk disease,” Dr. Naidoo explains. There are various ways…

How did it start? How did I discover it? The question which menask me most frequently is “How did you notice it?” I don’t quite remember how it began; did I first notice the lump at the back of the right testicle, or the twinge in the right groin? The twinge was such a light pain that I didn’t bother to take a painkiller. It felt like the usual after-effects of a very light blow on the testicles. Men and boys will know what I mean… The first time that I consciously noticed the lump on the right testicle was…

Although campaigns against cancer are more visible for female cancers such as breast and cervical cancers, men are more commonly affected by cancer than women. This has been shown in almost all cancers except breast and female genital tract cancers. Prostate cancer and testicular cancer are usually the focus of cancer awareness campaigns in men. However, common cancers such as lung, colon, skin cancers (melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancers), lymphoma, etc. affect all genders, and with male preponderance. Men also have a higher mortality rate from cancer than women. According to the SEER database, the lifetime risk of developing cancer (at any…

Most people remember Shaun Harris (33) as one of South Africa’s swimming heroes, a member of the legendary South African relay team at the All Africa Games of 2007. However, few people know that he survived testicular cancer. Here is his story full of courage and perseverance. Shaun describes himself as a positive person who had a lot of success in life. Most South Africans know him as one of the heroes of the South African swimming team. However, he was the first one to admit that it’s probably a combination of a positive outlook, happiness, early detection and excellent doctors who…

You can protect yourself against financial risks associated with prostate cancer With more than 4 300 South African men diagnosed with prostate cancer annually and an estimated five dying from the disease every day, it is imperative for men to not only get screenings for the disease to monitor their health, but also guard against the possible financial risks associated with this illness. This is according to Tetiwe Jawuna, Head of Standard Bank Insurance Brokers (SBIS), South Africa, who says: “We support initiatives like the Movember movement, which for the past four years has encouraged men to take control of their…

I was 30 years old. That evening when the doctor came and said it is aggressive cancer and they have to remove my right testicle, my life shattered into a million pieces. Signing a form that says: “removal of right testis” was a nightmare! I’ve been through the whole programme – my health and emotions on a roller coaster – surgery, chemotherapy, self-destruction, depression and luckily, to this day, healthy again. I made a bucket list when I was waiting for my results after the surgery. I wrote down places I would love to see before I die. (Helicopter ride…

The prostate gland is about the size of a walnut. It sits just below the bladder and surrounds the tube through which urine flows (urethra). Its function is to produce part of the fluid that the sperm is carried in (ejaculate). As with other parts of the body the prostate can be affected by cancer. If you are a man over the age of 40 you’re at risk for prostate cancer. In the early stages of prostate cancer there are normally no symptoms, so men who are not being screened for prostate cancer won’t know that they have it. This…

You’ve heard and read the story….’It started in a bar in Fitzroy in 2004, two mates talking about the fashion trends that hadn’t returned…and the moustache was one…’  In case you hadn’t heard of how the biggest men’s health movement of our time had started, to date raising over R4 billion since inception and investing into over 831 programmes, you’ve probably not been called a Mo Bro or Mo Sista, or joined one of the over four million people globally who have signed up to participate in this annual campaign since 2004, which prides itself on ‘Changing the Face of…

*Excuse the pun, but when I rethink my emotional rollercoaster times trying to cope with cancer, it was a nuts feeling! The fear that came with the cancer often drove me in front of a mirror starring at myself and asking: Am I going nut? The unbearable feeling of not knowing often reflected in my interpersonal dealings. My encounters with others from family, friends, nurses and my students were nuts – often positive, some awkward. The actions and reactions from my side, as well as from others, often ended in impotent/ powerless silence. Nuts! Why? The only reason I could…