April-May 2025 | Power People Archives

Animals & Cancer Cross-species cancer research

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

Andrew Robson explores cross-species cancer research and how cancer studies in animals contribute to understanding and treating human cancers.

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

Cancer is a universal challenge that affects humans and animals alike. While often seen as a human disease, cancer also impacts pets and wildlife. This shared vulnerability has opened doors to research benefiting both veterinary and human medicine. By studying cancer in animals, scientists gain insights that drive innovations in diagnosis and treatment across species. Cancer as a shared disease amongst animals and humans Cancer occurs…

Oral health and cancer Your tongue health

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Melanie Wright explores tongue health and what it reveals about your well-being, as well as signs of tongue cancer.

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

Your tongue plays a crucial role in daily life; helping with speaking, tasting, chewing, and swallowing. But have you ever considered how your tongue’s health reflects your overall well-being? Changes in colour, texture, or appearance can be early signs of health conditions, including cancer. Understanding the normal anatomy of the tongue The tongue is a muscular organ covered with a mucous membrane and is divided…

Childhood Cancer The unspoken long-term the side effects of childhood brain cancer

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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With May being Brain Cancer Awareness Month, Bonni Suckling highlights the effects of childhood brain cancer treatment and how the journey never really ends.

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

When my son, Jed, was diagnosed with brain cancer, I learned that the aftermath of cancer treatment is an ongoing challenge, faced outside the sterile walls of a hospital and within the everyday world where the trauma of treatment isn’t always visible. Writing an article about the long-term side effects of childhood brain cancer treatment for educational purposes…

Clinical Trials Clinical trials

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Teresa Smit and Debbie Peters inform us of what clinical trials not only offer patients but healthcare staff too.

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

Clinical trials are a unique opportunity to get state-of-the-art treatment for free. They give patients access to new products and give healthcare staff valuable experience with these products. A clinical trial is not experimental in the sense that we do not know what to expect. Clinical trials available at oncology sites are mostly phase 2 and 3 studies, meaning by this time the pharmaceutical company…

Clinical Trials Heleen Feldmann – The trial of my life

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Heleen Feldmann shares her current experience of being on a drug trial for advanced melanoma cancer.

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

Heleen Feldmann (44) lives in Johannesburg, Gauteng with her husband and three adult children. As a child, I always thought people in their forties were so old then I reached my forties. Little did I know my current age would be a life-saver. Melanoma diagnosis In 2024, I discovered a mole on my back as my gym clothes would scratch it. By October, it was just a bother,…

Ovarian Cancer Jacqui O’Sullivan – Finding strength in community

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Jacqui O’Sullivan shares a glimpse of her ongoing battle with ovarian cancer and how her community is pulling her through.

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

Jacqui O’Sullivan lives in Johannesburg, Gauteng with her husband and two sons. The past five months have been a whirlwind; an unexpected, life-altering journey that I never saw coming. It began with subtle yet persistent symptoms: weight gain, bloating, and pain in my left groin that lingered for 18 months. Like many women, I chalked it up to perimenopause. The pain worsened, and despite two…

Bladder Cancer How is bladder cancer diagnosed?

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Dr Daleen Geldenhuys lists the various diagnostic tests that may be done to diagnose bladder cancer.

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

The diagnosis of any cancer starts with acting on abnormal symptoms and reporting those to your general practitioner. Bladder cancer symptoms Haematuria (blood in urine), even if only at the end of urination should be investigated. Occasionally only staining of the undergarment may be the only blood seen. Bladder infections, bacterial or even bilharzia infections, can also present with bleeding but in general, that should also…

Ovarian Cancer New hope in PARP inhibitors

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Dr Trudy Smith shares how advancements in genetics and targeted therapies, such as PARP inhibitors, are reshaping the landscape of ovarian cancer.

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

Ovarian cancer is one of the most challenging malignancies to diagnose and treat, due in part to the lack of early symptoms and effective screening methods. By the time many women are diagnosed, the disease has often progressed to an advanced stage, which reduces the likelihood of successful treatment. However, with advancements in genetics and targeted therapies, there is increasing hope for…

A day in the life The role of a haematology case manager

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Jacki Van Niekerk details what a haematology case manager does and their role in the haematology cancer journey.

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

Before we look at the role of a haematology case manager, let’s differentiate between the two different types of case managers. Clinical case manager: These are typically trained/registered nurses or medical officers. In our haematology clinic, we employ a medical officer who assists the doctors in managing and co-ordinating patient care, guiding them through their treatment journey. This specialised role is essential for improving the…

Cancer Care The pitfalls of bed rest

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Megan McLoskey unpacks how prolonged periods of bed rest causes muscle mass loss and offers guidance to achieve a smoother recovery.

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

During a cancer journey, you may spend prolonged periods of bed rest at home or in a hospital, either while undergoing medical procedures, recovering from illness, or awaiting various forms of treatment. Prolonged periods of lying in bed can lead to a substantial loss of skeletal muscle mass due to inactivity, a condition known as muscle atrophy. Muscle loss and decreased strength…

Immunotherapy Raymond Pleaner – Fighting the good fight

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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Raymond Pleaner shares the dispute he had with his medical scheme to get immunotherapy treatment approved. Thankfully, the end result was in his favour.

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

Raymond Pleaner (70) lives in Sandton, Gauteng with his wife, Marcelle. They have three children and nine grandchildren. In June 2024, Raymond was diagnosed with cancer which was on the cusp of his oesophagus and stomach. He had no symptoms, but it was thanks to the keen eye of his pulmonologist (Raymond has lung issues due to COVID) who noticed something was…

Counting Pennies Treatment declined

March 31, 2025 Word for Word Media

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René Botha underlines the reasons why medical aids may decline treatments and offers other insurance options to help cover this shortfall.

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

Following a cancer diagnosis, you often see several specialists within a short amount of time and then get presented with various treatment options. Often, more than one treatment modality will be required for the best chance of treating the disease, either sequentially or sometimes at the same time. The treatments offered often include surgery, radiotherapy and systemic therapy (chemotherapy, targeted therapy, or immunotherapy)….