Oncology Buddies magazine

Feb 8, 2023 Word for Word Media

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…

Treatment Implanted materials and radiotherapy – what is safe?

Feb 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

René Botha explains the impact that implanted materials have on radiotherapy treatment. Radiotherapy is a treatment modality used to treat various malignancies throughout the body. Treatment courses generally range from one to 10 days for palliative treatments to five to seven weeks for cases treated with curative intent. Delivery of contemporary radiotherapy involves personalised planning using sophisticated computer software that takes into account the various densities of different tissues. Implanted materials, like dental restorations, orthopaedic implants, breast expanders and medical devices, all need to be carefully…

In the Spotlight Lenalidomide added to the Essential Medicines List

Feb 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

The Cancer Alliance and multiple myeloma patients are celebrating the win of lenalidomide finally included on the Essential Medicines List for the public sector. The Cancer Alliance launched its Access to Medicine campaign on World Cancer Day, 4 February 2018, after the landmark report Exploring Patent Barriers to Cancer Treatment Access in South Africa: 24 Medicine Case Studies was published in 2017. From the 24 medicines, a list of eight medicines were selected as a dedicated focus for equitable access. Lenalidomide was one of the…

Treatment Immunotherapy pseudo progression

Jun 1, 2022 Word for Word Media

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Can your tumour get bigger before it gets smaller during treatment? Dr Ronwyn van Eeden explains the pseudo progression phenomenon. Immunotherapy has revolutionised cancer treatment over the past few years by leading to significant overall survival benefits in patients with advanced cancer. Immunotherapy works by activating the body’s own immune system to fight cancer. Unlike conventional therapies, such as chemotherapy, that cause shrinkage of tumours or cancer cells, because of the unique way in which immunotherapy works it can cause a different or atypical kind of response in cancer cells. Pseudo progression is one of these atypical responses. The exact mechanism by which it…

Treatment Drug safety in the home

Mar 28, 2022 Word for Word Media

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Oncology pharmacist, Lailaa Cajee, helps us understand the importance of drug safety in the home. The development of numerous oral chemotherapy drugs (OCDs) has led to a new paradigm in cancer treatment. In 1995, there were only six oral chemotherapy drugs. This number grew to a whopping 90 in 2018. It’s estimated that more than 25% of the 400 cancer drugs in the pipeline are oral. Whilst these medications are convenient and allow flexibility, they are not without complications or risks. How and where you store your OCDs affects how well the drug works. Drug safety in the home is crucial for the…

For the boys PSMA therapy in metastatic prostate cancer

Feb 5, 2021 Word for Word Media

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Dr Lizette Louw informs us how PSMA therapy is a rapidly evolving area for metastatic prostate cancer treatment. What is nuclear medicine? Nuclear medicine is a specialised area consisting of two arms: nuclear imaging which uses small amounts of gamma radiation to examine organ function, and nuclear therapy using alpha or beta particles. In nuclear imaging, a radioactive atom is linked to specific molecules to guide imaging of specific organ systems. Similarly for nuclear therapy, a therapeutic radioactive atom is linked to various specific molecules which is absorbed by the tumour cells and the radiation is deposited within the…

Treatment Chemo side effects – don’t suffer in silence

Nov 30, 2020 Word for Word Media

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Many patients undergoing chemotherapy suffer side effects in silence. Dr Sarita Retief explains that this isn’t how it should be and implores patients to voice their chemo side effects. When seeing patients for their second chemotherapy session, I naturally ask them how the first session was to see if they had any chemo side effects. These are examples of the extreme different responses that I get: Mrs A will say that she did not feel anything at all. She went on with her normal life as if nothing happened. She even wonders if the Sister might have forgotten to…

Treatment What happens after cancer treatment?

Sep 29, 2020 Word for Word Media

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Dr Sarita Retief talks us through some of the emotions you will feel after cancer treatment. When you have cancer therapy (chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery), at some stage it might feel that it will never end. Then suddenly, you have reached the end of your treatment. That great day, you’ve anticipated for months, have arrived. All your friends and family celebrate with you. Though, for some strange reason, it’s not all just joy, but a strange, eerie feeling is also there, a ‘So, what happens now?’ feeling. You are not alone. Everybody who undergoes treatment feels like that. While…

Prostate Cancer What is robotic surgery?

Sep 28, 2020 Word for Word Media

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Dr Hugo Van Der Merwe simplifies the process of robotic surgery for our understanding. Robotic surgery is an enabling technology that allows a surgeon to perform more patient-friendly surgery. Currently there is only one commercially available robotic system called the Da Vinci Robotic System. How does it work? Basically, the surgeon will make (4 – 6) small incisions into the abdomen of the patient. Small ports are then placed through these incisions into the abdominal cavity. The surgeon will then connect, or dock, the robot onto these small ports. Fully-wristed instruments and a high-definition 3D camera are then introduced…

Treatment What to expect with my first chemotherapy cycle

Jul 29, 2020 Word for Word Media

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Dr Sarita Retief explains what to expect when you go for your first chemotherapy cycle. If there is one thing that COVID-19 has taught us all, is that it is very difficult to deal with an unknown future. And that is what everyone must go through at the start of chemotherapy. The day before anxiety creeps up and the night before you can hardly sleep. On the day that you start treatment, you are already emotionally exhausted. But then, after going through the first cycle, most people find that it was not nearly as bad as what they thought…

Treatment Doctor, I don’t want chemotherapy

May 29, 2020 Word for Word Media

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Dr Sarita Retief explains why chemotherapy is still the best oncology treatment that is available (for now). When I see a newly diagnosed patient for the first time, I often get these words, “I don’t want chemotherapy” within the first few sentences spoken. As if the patient couldn’t wait to get it off his/her chest. This is something people talk about casually over a dinner date or at braais. Usually after they have witnessed or heard about somebody dying of cancer; they then declare that they never want to go through such suffering and would never take such treatment…

Colon Cancer Colostomy surgery

May 29, 2020 Word for Word Media

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We learn the ins and outs of the colostomy surgery procedure. What is a colostomy? A colostomy is an operation that creates an opening for the large bowel to exit through the abdominal wall. The end of the large bowel is stitched to the skin to form an opening, called a stoma. Why do I need a colostomy? A colostomy may be needed if, as the result of an illness, injury or problem with your digestive system, or you can’t pass stools through your anus. You may have a colostomy to treat: Colon/rectal cancer Crohn’s disease Diverticulitis Anal cancer Vaginal…