Leukaemia Archives

Leukaemia Navigating chronic myeloid leukaemia

August 1, 2026 Word for Word Media

This guide provides simple, practical information to help you navigate chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Where do blood cancers originate? Blood cancer is a type of cancer that affects the blood cells and arises in the bone marrow, lymphatic system, or blood.1 Leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are some of the most common types of blood cancers.1

What is chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML)? Chronic myeloid leukaemia Chronic – CML is a chronic, slow-growing type of leukaemia that develops and progresses over a long period of time.3,4 Myeloid –…

Leukaemia Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) Patient Journey

April 1, 2026 Word for Word Media

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Receiving a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) can feel overwhelming. To help you feel more prepared, here’s an overview of what your treatment journey may look like.

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References Blood Cancer United (formerly Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) booklet on CLL Mayo Clinic guide on CLL for patients CLL Society guide for patients Cleveland Clinic CLL guide for patients

This patient journey is sponsored by BeOne Medicines South Africa in the interest of…

Leukaemia Meeting your stem cell donor

August 4, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Dr Charlotte Ingram, from the South African Bone Marrow Registry, educates us on the journey of connecting with your stem cell donor post-transplant.

For patients undergoing a bone marrow stem cell transplant, the journey is one of hope, healing, and sometimes, a profound desire to connect with the anonymous donor who gave them a second chance at life. But when and how can that connection be made? What is a stem cell transplant? A bone marrow stem cell transplant (BMT) is a life-saving procedure in which healthy blood-forming stem cells are infused into a patient’s bloodstream to replace diseased or damaged bone…

Haematology Pieter Le Roux – Life connections

July 31, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Pieter Le Roux shares how his leukaemia diagnosis steered his counselling career into making valuable life connections and how he sees this as what life is all about.

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

Pieter Le Roux (44) lives in Helderkruin, Gauteng. He is a cat dad. After a trip to USA, in December 2013, for the Top 100 upcoming youth pastors, Pieter was extremely tired. He put it down to travelling. Three months went by and his fatigue was at a high. “I went to my GP; when…

Haematology How is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia diagnosed?

July 31, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Dr Karen Gunther, a clinical haematologist, explains how acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is diagnosed.

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

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a malignancy of immature lymphoid cells. These live in the lymph glands, circulate in the blood, and stay in the bone marrow which is the “factory” where blood is made. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and lymphoma are overlapping clinical presentations of the same condition. The diagnosis depends on whether there is a marked increase in the peripheral lymphocyte counts in the blood or predominantly an increase…

Haematology Colin Smith – The battle of the two Cs

July 31, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Despite a relapse in 2021, eight years after his initial diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia, Colin Smith says recovering from COVID has been worse than his recurring blood cancer.

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

Colin Smith (70) lives in Johannesburg, Gauteng with his wife. They have three children and two grandchildren. Diagnosis At the age of 59, in February 2013, Colin experienced discomfort in the top right side of his abdomen. He thought it was a pulled muscle and adds that he hadn’t seen a doctor since undergoing…

Childhood Cancer The changing landscape of childhood ALL

April 1, 2024 Word for Word Media

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Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) remains a challenging and life-threatening disease. However, with new treatments and insights into the disease more children are being cured than ever before.

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

What is ALL? Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is a cancer of the white blood cells that are produced in bone marrow (spongy central area of bone where all blood cells are made). In ALL, the bone marrow makes excess abnormal immature lymphocytes. These cells grow out of control and enter the blood. They’re unable to ﬁght…

Leukaemia Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia

July 31, 2023 Word for Word Media

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Dr Gem E. George-Tharakan educates us on chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and why targeted therapy is the optimal treatment.

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

What is chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL)? CLL is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Specifically, it’s cancerous growth of B lymphocytes (sub-type of white (fighter) cells produced in the bone marrow that circulate in peripheral blood, mature and function in secondary lymphoid tissue, such as lymph nodes, liver, spleen, etc.). Incidence CLL is a common leukaemia that is typically…

Leukaemia What is CAR T-cell therapy?

February 8, 2023 Word for Word Media

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

Dr Lucille Sarah Singh details how CAR T-cell therapy works and how it will fit in the SA healthcare system. CAR T-cell therapy is the new kid on the block in the armamentarium of immunotherapy and cell and gene-based therapy. If nothing else, the COVID pandemic has put our immune systems under the spotlight; we have a heightened awareness of the exquisite repertoire of biological responses happening in our bodies on a daily basis to clear foreign invaders. These foreign invaders can be viruses and bacteria, but did you…

Leukaemia Everything had come back to life

November 29, 2022 Word for Word Media

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Katherine Gordon tells us how after one year of having no oocyte activity due to chemotherapy, everything had come back to life and five years later she gave birth to her son. Katherine Gordon (39) lives in Douglasdale, Gauteng with her husband, Alon, and their two-year-old son, Joshua. Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) At age 32, Katherine was diagnosed with AML. The diagnosis came about after she collapsed when running The Comrades Marathon in 2014. “I’ve always had low iron, so I thought that was the root. I saw a dietitian to get assistance both for the future of my running and because we wanted to start a…

Childhood Cancer Childhood leukaemia – Frequently Asked Questions

July 29, 2022 Word for Word Media

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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 marrow. Eventually these cells spill out into the blood where they are detected. Leukaemia is the most common form of childhood cancer, accounting for almost one out of three cancers. The most common type of leukaemia is acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Why do children get leukaemia? The exact cause of…

Leukaemia Is there new hope for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia patients?

February 4, 2022 Word for Word Media

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Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is at the forefront of immunotherapy. With these new and emerging treatments, substantially more effective therapies both upfront and at relapse are becoming a reality, both internationally and in SA. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is an aggressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow that if untreated results in death in a matter of weeks to months. It has excellent cure rates in young children, but in adults it’s only more recently that treatments are catching up to the paediatric level of success. How does ALL develop? All the cells of the blood and immune system are made…