VISION, OCTOBER 2017

You are invited to join us for some fun at our annual

Celebration of Life Breakfaston

Saturday 11 November 2017 in the Prospect Room, Sunnyside Park Hotel,Parktown, Johannesburg at 8h30 for 9h00Our MC for the event is Wayne WrightMusic provided by Mike de Figueiredo and entertainment and guest speakers

Our raffle offers some wonderful prizes and items up for grabs. All proceeds go to

the CanSurvive Cancer Support and patients at the Charlotte Maxeke oncology clinicsTickets are available at R220 per person

and tables of 10 for R2200For bookings or for more information, contact:

Bernice Lass 083 444 5182email: bernicelass@outlook.com

A Fresh Chapter inspiresCancerCare, Cape Town recently hosted a training sessionon facilitation skills for their team with the CEO andfounder of A Fresh Chapter, an innovative international can-cer charity, Terri Wingham, and Janet Ottersberg, facilitatorand an occupational therapist for more than 25 years. Theyspent time sharing the philosophy and details of runningthis type of special cancer survivor intervention .

We also hosted four social workers from Groote SchuurHospital and two social workers from St Luke's hospice !

Everyone left at the end feeling inspired and ready to thinkdifferently about the way to plan our interventions andsupport programmes in South Africa !

Thank you Fresh Chapter Terri and Janet for inspiring usall !! You are indeed a special team !!!

Greater nuclear medicineawareness neededNuclear medicine is under-utilised in South Africa despite its poten-tial to improve health outcomes and reduce medical costs. This isaccording to Principal Specialist in Nuclear Medicine and Head ofNuclear Medicine at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital,Dr Nozipho Nyakale.

According to Dr Nyakale, South Africa currently boasts around 60specialist nuclear medicine physicians and has 12 state hospitalswith dedicated nuclear medicine departments where treatmentsare provided to thousands of state patients annually – but itsimpact could be far greater.

Nuclear medicine is a minimally invasive practice that uses smallamounts of radioactive isotopes, mostly for medical imaging proce-dures, to allow physicians to view the structure and the function oforgans or systems in the human body. Because of the specialisedimaging nuclear medicine makes possible, it can pick up certain dis-eases much earlier, which could mean patients would be able tostart treatment earlier, which could save a lot of money not tomention improving the patient’s quality of life and their prognosis.

Dr Nyakale says: “the problem is that by the time a disease causesobvious physical changes in the patient, the disease may havealready progressed quite far. Most clinicians only come to nuclearmedicine when they are stuck. They know what they want, but theydon’t know what we can really help them with. If they knew moreabout what we are able to do, in some instances they could startwith us rather than finish with us.”

http://ehealthnews.co.za/nuclear-medicine-awareness/

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Spathiphyllum, commonly referred to as the Peace Lily is a beautifulindoor plant that requires minimal care. Little light and water areneeded to keep the plant flourishing. An analysis conducted byNASA proved that the Peace Lily is the most effective plant atremoving airborne Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These com-pounds include formaldehyde, trichloroethylene and benzene.

Other indoor plants with similar air purifying benefits include, butare not limited to Chrysanthemum, Devil’s Ivy, Red-Edged Dracaena,Snake Plant (Mother-in-Law's Tongue), Spider plant, Aloe Vera.

Don’t smoke – or quit smoking

The most prevalent and deadly cancer in both men and women islung cancer. It is estimated that this year over 150,000 people in theUnited States will die from lung cancer. That statistic contributes tonearly 30% of all cancer related deaths.

Smoking is the number one cause of lung cancer. 80-90% of all lungcancer deaths are in smokers. The 10-20% of other cases can beattributed to radon, asbestos, and other carcinogens. Consideringhow many inhalable toxins there are that can hurt the lungs, it isastonishing that the majority of lung cancer deaths come from onecause.

Sadly, cigarette smoke can hurt not only smokers, but those exposedto secondhand smoke. Breathing in another person's smoke regular-ly can increase your chances are getting lung cancer by 20 to 30%

Remember, it’s never too late to quit smoking! Your lungs are trulyamazing organs that have the ability to heal themselves... to someextent. That means quitting smoking can help to improve yourhealth, and give you back some of what you lost from smoking.

Only 12 hours after quitting smoking your body will have lowerlevels of carbon monoxide, and conversely higher levels of oxygen,which is great for your entire body. A few weeks after quitting youwill find that your lung function is improving and physical activityis easier than it was previously. After a month your lungs will beginto repair themselves, starting with the cillia. These tiny hair-likestructures help keep the lungs clean, pushing mucus out. High lev-els of mucus means you will have shortness of breath and mostlikely will experience lots of coughing. With the cillia repair this willimprove!

One of the most astonishing facts is that after a decade yourchances of getting and dying from lung cancer will drop in half.Making the decision to quit can prove to be well worth it once yourealise the benefits that it will bring!

See your doctor for regular checkups

This goes for your general health, not just lung health. Visiting yourdoctor for regular checkups is crucial. They are professionals, and it’salways a good practice to visit them for an annual check up to makesure everything looks and sounds good. If you suspect somethingmight be wrong, schedule a visit aside from your annual check up. Itcan never hurt to see your doctor and get their professional opinion.

Your lungs are vital to the function of the rest of your body. As youbreathe in and out your lungs are performing key processes thatkeep each and every organ working. To keep them healthy be cog-nisant of your indoor air quality, the types of products you’re usingin your home, avoid cigarette smoke by all means, and visit yourdoctor annually!

This blog post,from Brook Spencer, the Community OutreachDirector at the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance, and is reproducedwith permission of https://www.whatnext.com/blog/

Improve indoor air qualityWhen it comes to lung health, there are many factors that canattribute to complications like cancer. Unfortunately, some of theseare out of your control. However, many lung conditions can beavoided and controlled to some extent. It’s best to take all possiblesteps to prevent poor lung health! While seemingly safe, your homecan contain lots of possible toxins that can lead to poor lung health.As a best practice, look out for the following in your home:

Disturbed materials

Breathing in airborne particles can be really bad for your lungs! Ifyour house was built before the 1980’s you want to be particularlycareful. Older homes often times contain asbestos, a natural sub-stance that was very common decades before the 80’s, and stillunfortunately used today. Asbestos was once thought of as a “mira-cle” substance because of it’s heat and fire resistant properties.

In time, it was found that asbestos caused a handful of health relat-ed complications such as lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.Mesothelioma, being the most aggressive, is a cancer that candevelop in the lungs, heart or abdomen. It comes along with a verysad prognosis. Most people diagnosed are only given about 12-21months to live. The substance is fine until disturbed, so if you noticeasbestos in your home and it is damaged and particles are airborne,contact a professional immediately. All abatement should be doneby professionals to ensure your safety.

Avoid harsh chemicals

Deep cleaning is extremely important for your home! Keep in mindwhen cleaning that the products you choose to use are extremelyimportant as well. Using harsh and potentially carcinogenic chemi-cals to clean is counterproductive – causing more harm than good.The Environmental Working Group offers an extensive guide tohealthy cleaning (www.ewg.org/guides/cleaners) that provides ahandful of helpful materials to help you make good decisions whencleaning your home.

They recommend top products to use for cleaning, as well as offer alabel decoder. Often times the ingredient list on cleaning productslooks like a foreign language. This decoder will help you figure outwhether or not you’d want to use the product on your everydaysurfaces.

Keep plants that help remove toxins

Indoor plants are a great option whether you’re looking for styleperks or health benefits. Many houseplants offer both! The

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Cancercare, Rondebosch, held a cancer survivors day on 9 September and some 300survivors and family attended. It was a festivecelebration of life.

The goals of survivors’ day are: to honour cancer survivors; to educate them about theirlife after treatment and the importance of constant good surveil-lance; to thank caregivers for their support of cancer patients duringtheir treatment; and, to educate cancer survivors about new devel-opments in cancer care.

Three survivors shared their stories, namely, Sebastian Matheson,Roeshdien Jazz and Ann Bakkes, each contributing their unique storyand take on their journey. It was touching to listen to Sebastianshare how he struggled to make sense of this illness as a 19-year-old and how it has impacted the rest of his life. Roeshdien shared hisstory and also contributed by singing a few songs and sharing histalent with the audience and this was very popular. Ann shared herstory with the emphasis on how she managed her anxiety and theawareness she got during her treatment process that has allowedher to write a book on the management of anxiety - that is really awonderful gift to give any cancer patients.

CancerCare, Rondebosch, are looking forward to the next celebra-tion in 2018.

CancerCare,Rondebosch celebrates survivors

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Cancer- A Love Story– available for Breast Cancer Awareness month

Cancer: A Love Story soars beyond the world of cancer. It is a univer-sal story about turning a set of devastating traumas into opportuni-ty. Determined to find meaning, Lauren takes the reader on a jour-ney of enlightening alternative healing methods alongside standardtherapies. Her search is a true testament to the magic of the deter-mined human spirit.

The book is ultimately about the redemptive power of love andcommunity; about discovering courage and new meaning to hope;about soft landings in times of distress; about writing as healing. “Itis also about my commitment to speak out about a disease stillshrouded in so much shame. Many women in my position cannottell their story. If this book helps just one person cross over thatinvisible line of terror, it will have been worthwhile.”

Spirituality in PalliativeCare conference

HospiVision are privileged to welcome Professor ChristinaPuchalski, from the George Washington Institute for Spiritualityand Health, back for a day conference in Pretoria on Friday 27October followed by a day conference on Monday 30 October inCape Town.

Palliative care strives to improve the quality of life of patientsand their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness. Palliative care is a holistic approach thatfocusses on pain management and addressing problems associ-ated with the physical, psychosocial and spiritual aspects of aperson’s life.

At the end of life patients and their families often experiencespiritual distress. This particularly devastating when children areinvolved. We are privileged to welcome Prof Christina Puchalskifrom the George Washington Institute for Spirituality andHealth, a leading expert in the area of spirituality in palliativecare, as the keynote speaker for this conference. She is an inter-national leader in the movement to integrate spirituality intohealthcare in clinical settings and medical education.

The cost per delegate is R650 (lunch included). For more details,or to reserve your place, visit www.hospicevision.org/news.

Lauren Segal, the author ofCancer - a Love Story has this to say:

“One in eight women in South Africaare diagnosed with breast cancer. I amone of those woman.

What sets me apart from most of myfellow travellers is that I have beendiagnosed with cancer on four sepa-rate occasions – all before I hadturned 50. What does it mean to havehad cancer this many times?”

Bags andbracelets forbreast cancer

Show your support for breastcncer awareness with theseitems from the Breast HealthFoundation, found atWoolworths outlets nationwide

You are welcome!We would love to meet you!

You are cordially invited to join us at our public meetings wherebreast cancer patients and their friends and families have anopportunity to mix with other patients and survivors, as well asto listen to talks on issues related to breast cancer.

Next meeting: 25 November

Time: 9:30 for 10:00am

Venue: Hazeldene Hall, 13 Junction Ave, Parktown,Johannesburg,

FREE ENTRY, Enquiries: louise@mybreast.org.za / 0860 283 343

Stay informed with The Breast Health Foundation:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BreastHealthFoundation/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BreastBhf

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/breasthealthfounda-tionsa/

Website: http://www.mybreast.org.za/

Bosom Buddies is a support initiative brought to youby The Breast Health Foundation.

Order your copy from orders@booksite-afrika.co.za, Phone: +27 086 127 2273

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Netcare Centre for DigestiveHealth and Liver DiseasesThe Centre for Digestive Health and Liver Diseases at Netcare’sRosebank Clinic, offers a comprehensive multidisciplinary approachfor early detection, diagnosis and treatment of complex gastroin-testinal, liver, gallbladder and pancreatic diseases. A team of gas-troenterologists, specialist physicians, interventional endoscopists,radiologists,

GI HPB and transplant trained surgeons,dietician, physiotherapists,medical oncologists and radiation oncologists work together todesign a personalised diagnostic and therapeutic plan for eachpatient. Tumours are tested for molecular alterations, the result ofwhich helps form the basis of therapy.

Minimally invasive surgery is the first choice for operative proce-dures, allowing for more rapid recovery.

The Centre understands that cancer treatment and chronic diges-tive diseases can be challenging both physically and emotionally. Itreduces the anxiety associated with the diagnosis by providing allnecessary highly specialised therapies in one geographical space, co-ordinated by the Centre. Patients derive comfort from interactingwith the same administrative and medical staff, and knowing thatthesupport necessary to assist them and their families through thisstressful journey is available.

Each patient is viewed as an individual, with unique needs andexpectations. This understanding guides the team in creating atreatment plan that takes the patients lifestyle and goals intoaccount. It is believed that this comprehensive, holistic and support-ive approach to the management of life-threatening diseasesstrengthens the patient to better handle their health challenge withoptimal outcomes.

Are ketogenic diets helpfulin treating cancer?

By Megan Lee, FutureLife DieticianThe Theory

The growth of human cells is tightly regulated to ensure that cellsonly grow and divide in a controlled fashion, and only when neces-sary. Cancer cells differ from normal cells by the fact that these reg-ulatory mechanisms are affected which leads to rapid and uncon-trolled growth of cells. An interesting fact about cancer cells andone which is hallmark to almost all tumours is that these cells relysolely on glucose as a source of fuel. In contrast to normal cellswhich can adapt to different nutritional conditions by using fat asan energy source when glucose (from carbohydrates) is not avail-able, cancer cells are unable to do so and can only use glucose.

The aim of using a ketogenic diet to manage cancer is to exploit themetabolic flexibility of normal cells at the expense of the metaboli-cally disadvantaged cancer or tumour cells. The ketogenic diet (KD)is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet that has been used for decadesas an effective therapy for refractory seizures in children.

Emphasis is placed on such a diet also being calorie-restrictedbecause despite dietary carbohydrate intake being low, the bodycan still create glucose via a process called gluconeogenesis fromprotein. In this case cancer cells are also highly efficient at “stealing”glucose cells from the body. It is therefore important to ensure theketogenic diet is also calorie-restricted to prevent internal produc-tion of glucose which will promote cancer cell growth.

There are a few other potential mechanisms by which ketogenicdiets may be beneficial in treating cancer. Firstly a low carbohydratediet leads to lower levels of the hormones insulin and IGF-1 circu-lating which may result in fewer divide and grow signals being sentto cancer cells. Secondly, ketone bodies (formed when fat is beingused as an energy source) have been shown to inhibit the growth ofcancerous cells.

What does the research say?

The first study using the ketogenic diet for human malignant braincancer was conducted in 1953. The aim was to shift the prime sub-strate for energy metabolism from glucose to ketone bodies inorder to disrupt tumour growth. They studied two girls with non-resectable advanced brain tumours. Within seven days of beginningthe ketogenic diet, blood glucose levels were lower, blood ketoneswere twenty to thirty fold higher and there was a 21.8% decrease inglucose uptake at the tumour sight. One of the patients showed

significant clinical improvements and remained free of disease pro-gression while continuing the ketogenic diet for an additionaltwelve months.

In a pilot trial of 16 people with advanced stage cancer, five patientscompleted the three-month intervention of a ketogenic diet. Thesefive reported improvement in emotional functioning, less insomniaand several other parameters of quality of life remained stable.Temporary constipation and fatigue were the only side-effects found.

In another pilot study published in 2012, ten subjects withadvanced cancer completed 26 to 28 days of the ketogenic dietwithout associated unsafe adverse effects. Four of the patients con-tinued to see disease progression; five remained stable or had par-tial remission. The extent of ketosis, but not calorie deficit or weightloss, correlated with stable disease or partial remission.

Conclusion

There is hope for using a ketogenic diet in cancer prevention andtreatment which involves drastically reducing carbohydrate intakeand replacing it with healthy fats (particularly Medium-chaintriglyceride [MCT] fat such as coconut oil) and moderate amountsof high-quality protein. However this area needs far more researchbefore it can become a first line treatment for cancer or before anyrecommendation on this topic can be made. It is also far too pre-mature to say that it can be used to treat cancer without the use ofother cancer treatments and it is crucial to discuss all the optionswith an oncologist.

Reach for Recovery New contact detailsReach for Recovery advise that their offices have moved toSOHO Building, cnr Grant Avenue and FrancesStreet, Norwood.

Meetings will still be held at the Lifeline offices, 2 The Avenue,Cnr Henrietta Street, Norwood.

Their new phone numbers are (011) 483-2114 or 072-849-2901- and their e-mail address remains rforrjhb@telkomsa.net

50th CelebrationThe Celebration will be held on 4 November at TransvaalScottish, Ridge Road, Parktown from 10:30 to 12:30

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Coriander and ginger may help protect against radiation exposurePlant extracts have long been used for food, cosmetic and medicalpurposes, from creating drugs to treat serious diseases to essentialoils for relaxation and stress-relief. One group of compounds thatoccur naturally in oils derived from flowers, leaves, fruit and bark arecalled monoterpenes – these have been used for centuries to createperfumes and essential oils.

Toshiro Ono and co-workers at Okayama University, Japan, haveinvestigated three different monoterpenes – thymol, linalool andmenthol – to determine their protective effects on cells whenexposed to X-ray irradiation.

Of the three, linalool, which is found in common plants such as gin-ger, coriander and lavender, showed potent radio protective activity,with 80 per cent of cells remaining viable after exposure to radiation.Linalool actively scavenged ROS generated by the X-ray treatment,and was also found to prevent DNA strand breaks. The team found noevidence that thymol or menthol provided radioprotection.

Alongside protecting against X-ray damage, the three monoterpenesalso exhibited anti-cancer activity, suppressing EL4 cell growth after24 hours incubation. Linalool could, therefore, provide dual benefit tocancer patients by reducing damage from ionising radiation therapiesand helping to fight cancer cells.

As Ono’s team state in their paper published in the Journal ofRadioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry (2017); “Linalool may be usedas a radioprotector or radiorecovery agent during both planned andunplanned radiation exposure… Further studies will be needed forradio-protective effects of a variety of monoterpenes.”

Randburg Bowls Club is proud to present the

Friday 3 November 2017Start: 12:00 onwards

Venue: Randburg Bowls Club,Tinktinkie Road, Randburg

24 Teams of 4 players per team (Each team to include at least one cancer survivor or cancer fighter)

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY

Entry Fee: R150 per player(Includes afternoon tea and

“after bowls” snacks)

Prizes, Raffles, Live Music, Cash Bar and loads of Fun

To book or for more information contact:Wendy Lobley: 082 469 3874 or email:

wendylobz@gmail.co.za

Sponsorships: Donationsare welcomed

All proceeds will go to CanSurvive who supportpeople who are living with ancer. CanSurvive is aregistered Non-profit company No.2016/111301/08

CancerCare Rondebosch GroupVenue: Waiting Room, 4th floor Rondebosch Medical Centre,

Klipfontein road.Last Monday of each month (except Sept.)

Time: 18:00 – 19:30Contact Linda Greeff: 0219443700 for more info

CancerCare Panorama, Cape Town GroupVenue: Panorama Oncology, 1st floor, 43 Hennie Winterbach

Street, Panorama10:00 to 11:30

Contact: Emerentia Esterhuyse 0219443850, emerentia.ester-huyse@cancercare.co.za

CancerCare Cape Gate GroupVenue: 51 Tiger Avenue, Cape Gate, 7560

10:00 - 12:00Contact: Caron Majewski, 021 944 3807 caron.majewski@can-

cercare.co.za

CancerCare Outeniqua, George GroupVenue: 3 Gloucester Avenue, George

10:00 - 12:00First Wednesday of each month (except January)

Contact: Engela van der Merwe, 044 8840705, engela.vander-merwe@cancercare.co.za

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Discovery connects members with digital doctorThe new Discovery app connects medical aid scheme members, doc-tors and medical scheme case managers using state-of-the-art tech-nology and artificial intelligence (Al) powered by HealthTap, givingmembers access to accurate medical information on their devices.

HealthTap uses AI to translate patient symptoms into personalised,doctor-recommended diagnoses.

“Doctors are extremely busy professionals, and facilitating real-time,easy communication with their patients will undoubtedly make doc-tors’ and patients’ lives easier. With more sophisticated and accessibledigital tools, and big data analytics and AI technologies playing anincreasingly prominent role in health systems, we are excited aboutthe potential of DrConnect,” said CEO of Discovery Health, DrJonathan Broomberg.

Using DrConnect, medical scheme members will gain access to curat-ed health information and answers to health-related questions pro-vided by over 108,000 doctors to millions of patients across 174countries on HealthTap’s network, providing members with crediblesources of online medical information unlike some health informa-tion sites which may provide dubious information.

In addition, the DrConnect will also allow for virtual consultationsbetween patients and the doctors who already treat them.

DrConnect is available for download via the Apple App Store orGoogle Play Store. Once downloaded, users can access the platformeither through the Discovery app for members or through DrConnectdirectly. There is also an option to access it on the website.

http://ehealthnews.co.za/discovery-connects-digital-doctor/

Cancer Survivorship, 3rd editionGRACE, the Global Resource for Advancing Cancer Education hasproduced a new edition of their free booklet, Cancer Survivorship.This can be downloaded from:http://cancergrace.org/general/files/2017/06/2017-Survivorship-final-copy.pdf

ESMO publishes Patient Guide on SurvivorshipThe new “Patient Guide on Survivorship” produced jointly by theEuropean School of Medical Oncology (ESMO) the EuropeanCancer Patient coalition (ECPC) and the International Psycho-Oncology Society (IPOS) is now available on the web in PDF.

In this guide you can find information on:

p Support in coping with the new reality - Who can help me?p Life after initial treatment - How can I get my normal life back?p reventive health - What lifestyle changes can I make to achieve

optimal physical and emotional health?p Follow-up care: Detection and management of treatment- or tumour-related

symptoms Prevention and detection of cancer recurrence Prevention and early detection of new primary cancers for

patients and their family members Comorbidities and management of comorbidities

Keeping a personal health record / Survivorship care plan

http://www.esmo.org/Patients/Patient-Guides/Patient-Guide-on-

Survivorship

Nutritional problems due to cancerThe Anticancer Fund investigates the information on cancer thera-pies for evidence, so that evidence-based treatment choices can bemade. They help patients to structure and absorb the complexnature of the information on registered, complementary or alterna-tive therapies.

They have produced an interesting booklet " A guide for patientswith nutritional problems due to cancer and the treatment", whichmay be downloaded from their website

www.anticancerfund.org/sites/default/files/documents/dealing_with_nutritional_problems_due_to_cancer_0.pdf

Cancer symptoms? There's an app for thatWhile your doctors may have asked you to record your symptomsin a health diary, that can become labour-intensive when your ill-ness and treatment are already demanding time and concentration.

Enter Cancergraph, the brainchild of Malecare, a nonprofit men’scancer support organisation. One of many free apps available tohelp patients with cancer to track their treatments and health, itsgoal is to make it easy to use smartphones to record symptoms,side effects or emotional issues, even at the worst times.

Patients can even snap a photo of a rash and be sure it won’t getshared with their vacation photos. The app turns the information intographs that show how symptoms vary over time.

In addition, Cancergraph posts are showing up in online health-relat-ed social networks, where patients use the information to comparetheir experiences. “There are a lot of opportunities to understand theprogression of disease relative to treatment, as well as for the patientto understand what’s going on and protect themselves,” saysMalecare Founder and Executive Director Darryl Mitteldorf, LCSW.

Cancergraph is available for iPhone and Android devices.

Choosing your treatmentChoosing Wisely aims to promote conversations between cliniciansand patients by helping patients to choose care that is supported byevidence.

In response to this challenge, national organisations representingmedical specialists asked their providers to "choose wisely" by identi-fying tests or procedures commonly used in their field whose neces-sity should be questioned and discussed. The resulting lists of "Thingsproviders and patients should question" are intended to spark discus-sion about the need – or lack thereof – for many frequently orderedtests or treatments.

To help patients engage their health care provider in these conversa-tions and empower them to ask questions about what tests and pro-cedures are right for them, Consumer Reports has developed patient-friendly materials based on the specialty societies' list ofrecommendations. These materials are disseminated through thecampaign's consumer partners.

Available for iPhone from your iTunes App Store.

DOWNLOADS

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VISION E-NEWSLETTERVISION is produced for CanSurvive Cancer Supportand is an e-newsletter for cancer patients and care-givers everywhere and with any type of cancer.

Please send details and pics of any support meetingsand cancer related events anywhere in South Africa sothat we can include these in the newsletters.

Your comments, articles, and letters submitted for publication in VISION are always welcomed and canbe sent to the Editor at: cansurvive@icon.co.za.

Subscription to the newsletter is free - just email us.

Enquiries: 062 275 6193

PSA and male cancer support group

Monthly support groups are held at theBoardroom at MediClinic, Constantiaberg, Plumstead

Next meeting 17 October 17:45 – 19:00

For more information contact:

Helpline: 076 775 6099Email: info@can-sir.org.za. Web: www.can-sir.org.za

Our grateful thanks to Medi-Clinic for providing a home

for our activities and refreshments for our members.

MEET THE GROUPS

Tokai Melomed GroupCape TownCancer patients and caregivers in the Tokai area are welcome toattend this friendly Group on the last Thursday of each month.

Asthma drug could stopprostate cancer spreadingBRITISH scientists have made a landmark discovery that couldhelp slow or even stop the spread of prostate cancer to thebones.

Once prostate cancer has formed tumour outposts in bone mar-row, the disease is usually considered incurable, but scientists atYork University have discovered why prostate cancer so oftenspreads to the bone – and how the process can be stopped.

Professor Norman Maitland, chairman of molecular biology atYork University, said circulating prostate cancer cells were likespace ships searching for places to dock in the body to start anew colony. “Without this docking station, the ‘ship’, or cell, willjust float around, not causing any further harm,”he added. As a

result, about 80 per cent of men with advanced prostate cancersuffer from tumours in the bone. These grow and eventually over-come the body, proving fatal.

Replicating this ‘docking process’ in human prostate cancer cells,the team were able to identify the signal going into the nucleusof the cancer cell and blocked it with a non-toxic drug – knownas AS1517499 – that has previously been tested for treatment ofallergic asthma..

They found that the drug inhibits the signal, allowing the cancercell to survive, but ultimately disabling its ability to spread. Thiscould mean that cancer spread can be slowed down or be mademore receptive to cell death following traditional treatmentssuch as chemotherapy.

Prof Maitland said clinical trials of AS1517499 were ‘some wayoff’ and that, when they did start, they would almost certainlyinvolve men in the advanced stages of the illness.

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James C. Salwitz, MDDr. Salwitz is a Clinical Professor at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

He lectures frequently in the community ontopics related to Hospice and Palliative Careand has received numerous honours andawards, including the Physicians LeadershipAward in Palliative Care.

His blog, Sunrise Rounds, can be found at http://sunriserounds.com

Medical secret: 1 + 1 = 1After you finish medical school classes, the night before graduation,they take you to a dark, quiet room. There, among leather boundtomes 300-years-old, diseased skeleton trophies swinging behindglass, as you sip 50-year-old Port in ancient crystal, they tell you thesecrets. This is the wisdom passed not in lectures, rounds or at theoperating table; it is the hallowed legacy of thousands of healersover the millennia; the bedrock of medicine, the soul of the profes-sion. And here, right now, I will give you a small peak, a tiny glimpseof that great light. The deep insight, that marvelous truth is; watchthe wife.

Let us be honest, men lie. I mean of course, male patients. They donot mean to lie; they simply cannot help it. Whether it is a machothing, a denial of reality or perhaps simply that their brains do notfully connect to the body, they often do not seem to have a clueabout how they really feel. Have you been eating well?“Absolutely,” says the guy that lost six pounds in a week. Taking yourmeds? “Of course,” with a blood pressure of 190/112. “I’m ready togo back to work,” as he barely navigates the exam table. Clueless.

So, one of the great tricks, which doctors learn, is watch the wife. Iam not saying, ask the wife whether he is telling the truth, check his

answers. If she wants, she will tell you. Alternatively, she may feelthe need to temper her words, in order to preserve domestic peace.I am saying watch her body language, gestures and especially hereyes.

If, when you come into the exam room, you note that the wife istired, then he is not doing well; she has been up all night worrying.She has been cooking meal after meal that he says he wants, butdoes not eat. She may be exhausted fighting, trying to get him totake care of himself. If her cloths are a mess, makeup crooked, letalone eyes puffy from crying, he is in big trouble.

When he swears that he is having no pain, and her eyes widen, andshe glances briefly at his face as if they have never been introduced,then he is in agony. When he describes brisk walks around theneighborhood and her mouth opens so wide you can see her tonsils,he is spending most of his time on the couch.If he says, “I quitsmoking” and her hands clinch tight, you wasted that prescriptionfor Chantix.

It is not just that a loving wife can be an excellent gauge of a man’scondition. The lesson, passed down from healer to healer over somany years, is that when a man, or a woman, gets a disease, theyboth get sick. Just as if that tumour is growing in both of them, thespouse suffers deeply in the mind and often in the body. It is thenature of people that love each other to connect, not only in joy,but also in pain, loss and disease. Soul mates mean more than walk-ing the same path; it means walking in the same shoes, the samesteps, driven by the same heart.

In general, women have better connection between body and mind,so that husbands are not as vital to measure their wife’s suffering.Even the most loving husband may not be a good measure of whatis happening to his wife, but this is not because he is insensitive.The pain of the one he cares most about and is not able to protect,often overwhelms a man. Still, both men and women move throughdifficult times as one and suffer together.

One plus one equals one. To ignore that reality, to think you cantreat one, without being aware of the one, is to risk confrontation,confusion and failure. We are each different, each strong, and eachweak, but together we heal. When we remember the bond thatmakes two into one, we gain a powerful tool. This lesson, the powerof love, the power of togetherness, can serve all of us, no matter onwhat side of the stethoscope we stand.

Let’s talkabout cancer!Join us at a CanSurvive Cancer Support groupmeetings for refreshments, a chat with other

patients and survivors and listen to aninteresting and informative talk.

PARKTOWN Hazeldene Hall (opposite NetcareParklane Hospital) - 14 October 09:00

CHARLOTTE MAXEKE Radiation Department,Level P4 - 18 October

SOWETO, HapyD, 1432 Buthelezi St. Jabulani - 21 October 09:00

CHARLOTTE MAXEKE Radiation Department,Level P4 - 1 November

CELEBRATION OF LIFE - 11 November atSunnyside Park Hotel -NOTE: no meeting at

Hazeldene Hall in NovemberPINEHAVEN, Pinehaven Hospital - (to be advised)

Enquiries: 062 275 6193or email cansurvive@icon.co.za

www.cansurvive.co.zawww.facebook/cansurviveSA

The Groups are free and open to any survivor,patient or caregiver.

“It’s easier to make a buck. It’s a lottougher to make a difference.”

–Tom Brokaw, American journalist

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CANCER ALLIANCE ADVOCACY TOOLKIT

Priority area #7: Re-engineering the health systemAs cancer incidence rises nationally, behavioural risk factors threat-en to send the disease escalating to epidemic proportions. It isbecoming increasingly urgent that cancer be recognised as a prioritydisease that requires specialised services and a dedicated budget. Ifwe don’t address serious shortcomings in the continuum of care,South Africans will continue to die unnecessarily from cancer.

The factsThere is little equity of care for cancer patients in South Africa, thefirst obvious sign being the absence of treatment centres for each ofthe nine provinces. This lack of proximate affordable, effective andquality cancer services, which enables early diagnosis, appropriatetreatment and care, means patients in lower-resourced areas willoften suffer and die unnecessarily.

A multi-disciplinary approach to cancer is feasible in all settings –but not without a National Cancer Control Plan (NCCP) to ensurethe delivery of locally appropriate, effective solutions, which providesustainable, quality cancer services.

Without such a properly-funded NCCP, it will be impossible toimplement effective patient referral pathways to early and effectiveaccess to relevant treatment protocols. Health systems that priori-tise timeous access to effective cancer treatment ultimately paymore than only lip service to reducing the ever-growing burden ofcancer disease in South Africa.

There is an immediate need for sufficient functional radiation treat-ment facilities that conform to the norms and standards set by theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The minimum norm isone accelerator per 250 000 people.

In the public sector in South Africa, equipment shortages are com-mon, and where there is equipment, it is frequently outdated andpoorly-maintained, combined with inadequate staffing. Thisimpacts negatively on patient waiting lists and treatment out-comes. While the public sector has only 41 radiation oncologists,the private sector has 139 to service only 14% of the population –with state-of-the-art equipment.

Training of associated staff at accredited academic institutions, thecornerstone of future cancer care, is currently under threat with notall these institutions able to meet the growing demand for cancerspecialists.

Other important shortcomings are that most cancer patients donot receive:

m Vital information about their disease in their mother tongue.m Comprehensive psychosocial care.m The services of patient navigators to guide them through the

treatment process.m Information about the consequences of delayed treatment and

long waiting lists.

So what do we need?m Culturally sensitive, linguistically appropriate local awareness

and education programmes to teach the value of preventionand early detection of cancer.

m Access for adults and children to accurate screening and earlydetection of cancer at all primary healthcare facilities.

m imeous diagnosis at functional diagnostic centres, and efficientreferral to further necessary care services.

m Equitable, quality treatment, with the associated provision ofequipment and trained human resources for effective, patient-centred care.

m Appropriately trained cancer surgeons to ensure prompt surgicalinterventions, as well as dedicated theatre availability.

m Access to affordable diagnostic techniques, and essential andother supportive cancer medication, to offer equitable and safecancer treatment for all.

m Sufficient fully-functional and fully-staffed radiation treatmentfacilities, especially to address the highest-incidence cancers –breast, cervical, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancer.

m Acceptable levels of psycho-social care at all treatment centres,particularly for patients from rural areas and for those who arefinancially disadvantaged.

m Palliative care services for cancer survivors and their families,especially in the currently critically under-resourced rural areas.This is a vital service that should be available from diagnosis toend-of-life.

m A multi-faceted approach to care, spanning the entire cancercontinuum.

m Properly-trained health professionals across the board to imple-ment focused provincial cancer plans.

How we can meet the challenge?CHALLENGE 1: A NATIONAL PLAN

Although a South African National Cancer Control Plan was first devel-oped in 1998, limited political will to fund its development meansthat, 19 years later, there is still no structured and sustainable roadmap for addressing cancer at a national and provincial level.

The World Health Organisation points out that no matter a coun-try’s resource constraints, a well-conceived and well-managedNCCP helps reduce the cancer burden, and improves services forcancer patients and their families.

Cancer control programmes require accurate data, including reliablecancer registries. Regulations to compel cancer registration werepromulgated in 2011, but adherence is incomplete, with somenoticeable gaps. This has resulted in significant under-reporting ofcancer incidence. Urgent adjustment to the regulation is required toensure specialists report the cancer cases they diagnose.

CHALLENGE 2: PRIORITY AND APPROPRIATE BUDGET:

There is evidence from other low- and middle-income countriesthat health care systems can be implemented in a cost-effectiveway, but the key to that success lies in establishing functional pri-mary care health infrastructures, particular for cancers responsive toprevention and early detection efforts.

But the same significant government and financial support, whichresulted in expanded access to treatment for HIV/AIDS and otherinfectious diseases, is essential – or cancer will continue to be rele-gated to the periphery of the health arena.

It’s widely accepted that cancer requires special attention, and thegovernment declaring cancer a priority disease is a good place tostart if the burden of disease is to ever be successfully reduced.

VISION, OCTOBER 2017

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CALENDAROctober 2017

14 CanSurvive Cancer Support Parktown Group, HazeldeneHall, Parktown 9:00

17 Can-Sir Malecare Support Group, MediclinicConstantiaberg, Plumstead, Cape Town, 17:45 – 19:00

18 CanSurvive Charlotte Maxeke Group, Radiation Floor P4.

18 CancerSupport@Centurion support Group at NetcareUnitas Hospital, Centurion at 16:00

21 CanSurvive Jabulani Group at HapyD, 1432 Buthelezi St.

22 Avon Justine IThemba Walkathon, Marks Park,Johannesburg

26 Cape Gate Oncology Group, Oncology Centre 10:00.“Breast cancer and treatments”.

28 CANSA Breast Walk,Emerald Casino, Vanderbijl Park.

29 Scoot 4 Cancer, Randburg Bowling Club 10:00Fundraising scooter ride for CanSurvive Cancer Support

30 Cancercare Support Group, Rondebosch Medical Centre,“Stress release as part of healing”

November 20171 CanSurvive Charlotte Maxeke Group, Radiation Floor P4.

1 Cancercare OuteniquaSupport Group, GVI Boardroom,3Gloucester Ave. George 10:00 - 12:00

3 CanSurvive Bowls Challenge Match at Randburg BowlsClub. Starting 12:00.

4 Reach for Recovery ”50 Years Celebrations”to be held atTransvaal Scottish, Ridge Road, Parktown.

4 CanSurvive Cancer Support West Rand Group, NetcarePinehaven Hospital, Krugersdorp 09:00 (to be confirmed)

11 CanSurvive CELEBRATION OF LIFE, Sunnyside ParkHotel, Parktown 8:00 for 8:30

15 Reach for Recovery Group meeting 13:45 Lifelineoffices,2 The Avenue, Cnr Henrietta Street, Norwood

15 CanSurvive Charlotte Maxeke Group, Radiation Floor P4.

15 CancerSupport@Centurion support Group at NetcareUnitas Hospital, Centurion at 16:00

18 CanSurvive Jabulani Group at HapyD, 1432 Buthelezi St.

21 Can-Sir Malecare Support Group, MediclinicConstantiaberg, Plumstead, Cape Town, 17:45 – 19:00

23 Cape Gate Oncology Group, Oncology Centre 10:00.Personal reflections and celebrations..

25 Wings of Hope, venue to be confirmed. 10.00 Year EndParty

25 Bosom Buddies Support Group, Hazeldene Hall,Parktown at 09:30 for 10:00

27 Cancercare Support Group, Rondebosch Medical Centre,“Personal reflections and celebrations”.

December 20172 CanSurvive Cancer Support West Rand Group, Netcare

Krugersdorp Hospital, 09:00

6 Cancercare OuteniquaSupport Group, GVI Boardroom,3Gloucester Ave. George 10:00 - 12:00

CONTACT DETAILS

CanSurvive Cancer SupportParktown and West Rand Group :,

Contact: 062 275 6193 or cansurvive@icon.co.zaCharlotte Maxeke Group: Contact Duke Mkhize 0828522432Jabulani Group: Contact Sister Bongiwe Nkosi: 0835760622

CancerCareSupport Group, 4th Floor, Rondebosch MedicalCentre. Contact: linda.greeff@cancercare.co..za or phone

0219443700 for more info

CancerCare Cape Gate Support group: 10h00-12h00 in theBoardroom, Cape Gate Oncology Centre.|

Contact: Caron Caron Majewski, 021 9443800

CancerCare Outeniqua, George Support Group. Contact: Engelavan der Merwe, 044 8840705,

engela.vandermerwe@cancercare.co.za

Cancersupport@centurion: Marianne Ambrose 012 6778271(office) or Henriette Brown 072 8065728

Bosom Buddies: 011 482 9492 or 0860 283 343,louise@mybreast.org.za

Venue: Hazeldene Hall, 13 Junction Ave, Parktown,Johannesburg. www.bosombuddies.org.za.

More Balls than Most: febe@pinkdrive.co.za,www.pinkdrive.co.za, 011 998 8022

PinkDrive: www.pinkdrive.co.za, Johannesburg:febe@pinkdrive.co.za, 011 998 8022;

Durban: Janice Benecke: 031 201 0074/082 557 3079janice@pinkdrive.co.za

Cape Town: Ebrahim Osman: 021 697 5650ebrahim@pinkdrive.co.za

Prostate & Male Cancer Support Action Group,MediClinicConstantiaberg. Contact Can-Sir: 079 315 8627 orLinda Greeff: linda.greeff@cancercare.co.za, phone 0219443700

Wings of Hope Breast Cancer Support Group 011 432 8891,info@wingsofhope.co.za

CHOC: Childhood Cancer Foundation SA; Head Office: 086 111 3500; headoffice@choc.org.za; www.choc.org.za

CANSA National Office: Toll-free 0800 226622

Netcare Clinton Support Group 10:00 Netcare ClintonOncology Centre, 62 Clinton Rd. New Redruth. Alberton. Second

Friday each month.

CANSA Pretoria: Contact Miemie du Plessis 012 361 4132 or 082 468 1521; Sr Ros Lorentz 012 329 3036 or 082 578 0578

Reach for Recovery (R4R) : Johannesburg Group, 011 483 2114or 072 849 2901. Meetings: Lifeline offices, 2 The Avenue, Cnr

Henrietta Street, Norwood

Reach for Recovery (R4R) : West Rand Group. Contact Sandraon 083 897 0221.

Reach for Recovery (R4R) Pretoria Group: 082 212 9933

Reach for recovery, Cape Peninsula, 021 689 5347 or0833061941 CANSA offices at 37A Main Road, MOWBRAY

starting at 10:00

Reach for Recovery: Durban, Jenny Caldwell, 072 248 0008.t

Reach for Recovery: Harare, Zimbabwe contact 707659.

Breast Best Friend Zimbabwe, e-mail bbfzim@gmailcom

Cancer Centre - Harare: 60 Livingstone Avenue, HarareTel: 707673 / 705522 / 707444 Fax: 732676 E-mail:

cancer@mweb.co.zw www.cancerhre.co.zw

VISION, OCTOBER 2017

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News in brief

Shorter duration chemo for low-risk stage III colon cancerFor patients with low-risk stage III colon cancer, a shortened course ofoxaliplatin-based chemotherapy after surgery was associated withreduced side effects compared with the traditional course ofchemotherapy and was just as effective, according to theInternational Duration Evaluation of Adjuvant Chemotherapy (IDEAcollaboration) study, which included six clinical trials of nearly 13,000patients from 12 countries.

In the study, patients underwent a three-month course of chemotherapy instead of the standard six-month course and experiencedfewer and less severe side effects, such as nerve damage.

The key side effect of oxaliplatin (Eloxatin) is nerve damage that mayresult in permanent numbness, tingling and pain in the hands andfeet, even after chemotherapy is discontinued. The likelihood ofdeveloping neurotoxicity and its severity is closely related to theduration of therapy and total dose of oxaliplatin received over time.

Researchers in the study did observe a slight decrease in disease-freesurvival, which is defined as being alive without recurrence of cancer,for patients receiving the shorter duration of chemotherapy for over-all stage III colon cancer. However, for low-risk stage III colon cancer,three months of treatment was shown to be as effective as sixmonths of treatment.

The study findings also could lead to a more individualised treatmentduration based on a patient's individual preference, age, tolerance oftherapy and risk of recurrence.

http://tinyurl.com/y73zksap

Good and bad news on aspirin and colon cancerDaily aspirin use - known to reduce the risk of colon cancer - couldalso make the disease harder to treat if it does occur, researchersreport.

The new findings based on mathematical modelling, If confirmed sta-tistically and in the lab, would mean that aspirin's ability to ward offcolon cancer may come at an unacceptably high cost.

Taking aspirin regularly "has been shown to reduce the incidence (of)a variety of cancers," including of the colon, noted the authors of astudy in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface. But at the sametime, the drug may render the cancer "more difficult to manage ther-apeutically," they added.

A study earlier this year showing an increased risk of internal bleedingin people over 75 who take aspirin regularly. So, you might want totake it in your 50s and 60s, but then stop, as the benefits from cancerprevention are said to carry on for another ten years or so.

http://tinyurl.com/y9aa6joy

FDA approves Mylotarg for AML treatmentThe FDA has approved Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin) for the

treatment of adults with newly diagnosed CD33-positive acutemyeloid leukemia (AML).

Additionally, the agency approved the antibody-drug conjugate forthe treatment of patients aged two years and older with CD33-posi-tive relapsed/refractory AML.

“We are approving Mylotarg after a careful review of the new dosingregimen, which has shown that the benefits of this treatment out-weigh the risk,” Richard Pazdur, M.D., director of the FDA’s OncologyCentre of Excellence and acting director of the Office of Hematologyand Oncology Products in the FDA’s Centre for Drug Evaluation andResearch, said in a statement. “Mylotarg’s history underscores theimportance of examining alternative dosing, scheduling, and admin-istration of therapies for patients with cancer, especially in those whomay be most vulnerable to the side effects of treatment.”

The recommendation and now approval were based on results fromALFA-0701, a randomised phase 3 trial comparing daunorubicin andcytarabine with (139 patients) or without Mylotarg (139 patients) forthe treatment of patients 50 to 70 years old with newly-diagnosedAML.

http://www.curetoday.com/articles/fda-approves-mylotarg-for-aml-treatment

Scientists take step forward in understandingoesophageal cancerScientists at The University of Manchester have identified some keyfactors that establish oesophageal cancer cells. Professor AndySharrocks and his clinical collaborator Dr Yeng Ang led a team whichused a new approach, looking for molecular signatures within thehuman genome which act as markers for cancer cells.

The signatures are able to define how the genes in oesophagus can-cer are controlled and how this differs from normal oesophageal cells.

By using the information they identified which proteins are activatedto drive oesophageal cancer.

And thanks to the work, the scene is set for a new branch of researchwhich may be able to develop leads for generating targeted drugtherapies.

Professor Sharrocks said: “Oesophageal adenocarcinoma, a type ofoesophageal cancer, has an abysmal survival rate, partly because it ispoorly understood at the molecular level. Few, if any, targeted thera-pies exist.

“It presents late and patients have to endure a brutal chemotherapytreatment regime. There has been little progress in understanding thiscancer over many years, so we believe this approach might representa major step forward.”

http://tinyurl.com/yahr2wrs

Probiotics benefit people suffering fromdigestive health problems Among the group of 400 respondents of Cipla’s Digestive HealthSurvey, only 22% were daily users of probiotics, while 35% of respon-dents of the survey indicated that they take a probiotic once a week.

Prof. Dicks, head of the probiotic and antimicrobial peptide lab in theDepartment of Microbiology at the Stellenbosch University, recom-mends that all people take a quality probiotic daily to maintain a bal-ance of microflora in the gut. He explains that a probiotic consists oflive bacteria which disappear, together with their health benefits after

VISION, OCTOBER 2017

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a day. “Taking a daily probiotic will not only reduce your chances ofexperiencing digestive health problems, but will also promote a well-balanced immune system since about 75% of the body’s immunesystem is located in the gut.”

The survey found that 66% of the respondents believe that by con-suming yoghurt daily they can achieve their daily requirement ofprobiotics. However, Prof. Dicks notes that the yoghurt cultures con-tained in one serving are not nearly enough. “In fact a person needsto consume about 40 litres of yoghurt per day to take in the requiredamount of probiotic flora needed to maintain a healthy gut.”

He adds that when choosing a probiotic, consumers must select aprobiotic which lines both the small and large intestine, which will beindicated on the packet. "It is therefore not about the number ofstrains in the probiotic but whether the strains lines, binds and pro-tect the entire gut.

“There is no reason why so many people should experience digestivehealth problems. A good probiotic taken daily will help maintaindigestive health and boost the immune system which will help peo-ple achieve an overall healthier, quality of life,” concludes Prof. Dicks.

Handheld device could spot tumour tissueduring surgeryA handheld device can distinguish between tumour and healthy tis-sue in lab tests. Its inventors, the University of Texas, believe thedevice could one day be used by surgeons to quickly identify cancertissue, and in some cases the molecular makeup of a tumour, duringsurgery.

Experts said further development was needed, but the device – calledthe MasSpec Pen – could speed up certain surgical procedures in thefuture and, if needed, could diagnose characteristics of some cancerson the operating table and new tool could improve the odds that sur-geons really do remove every last trace of cancer during surgery.

Researchers tested the pen in the lab on human and mouse tissuesamples that contained healthy and cancerous cells. When pressed ondifferent parts of the samples the pen recognised the differencebetween the cancer cells and normal cells, such as connective tissue.

To see if the pen could identify the tumour type, they tested 253patient tumour samples in the lab. The samples included normal andcancerous tissue from the breast, lung, thyroid and ovary. They usedthis information to build a molecular database containing key molec-ular fingerprints for each of these cancers. After comparing resultsfrom a pathology lab, the researchers say the pen predicted thetumour type correctly more than 96% of the time. The research teamclaim the MasSpecPen can identify cancerous tissues and some can-cer types in only 10 seconds.

The MasSpec Pen team hope to start human trials next years to see ifthis technology could be of benefit to patients.

http://tinyurl.com/y7a7q7ca

Immune-focused drug may be new weaponagainst advanced melanomaNew research suggests that Opdivo - a drug that works with theimmune system to fight melanoma - is more effective than the cur-rent standard of care for patients who've had surgery to removeadvanced tumours.

The international study was funded by Opdivo's maker, Bristol-MyersSquibb, and included more than 900 patients with stage III and stage

IV melanoma. Patients were treated at 130 medical centres across 25countries. All underwent surgery for their cancer before they begantreatment with either Opdivo (nivolumab) or Yervoy (ipilimumab),the drug that's the current standard of care.

Both drugs are "immunotherapies," which work by boosting theimmune system's ability to spot and destroy tumour cells.

After a year of treatment, 71 percent of patients in the Opdivo groupwere alive without any recurrence of the disease, compared with 61percent of those treated with Yervoy. And at 18 months, the rate was66 percent for Opdivo and 53 percent for Yervoy, the findingsshowed.

The study found that patients taking Opdivo had fewer severe sideeffects than those taking Yervoy, at 14 percent versus 45 percent. Fivepercent of patients on Opdivo had to stop treatment due to sideeffects, compared with 31 percent of those on Yervoy. The most com-mon side effects for both drugs were fatigue and diarrhea.

http://tinyurl.com/ydchw8ys

New drug to supercharge immune cells in thefight against cancerA new cancer treatment with the ability to normalise tumour bloodvessels and boost the body’s immune system has been developed byresearchers from The University of Western Australia and the HarryPerkins Institute of Medical Research.

Many tumours can become resistant to the body’s immune systemby creating a barrier of tangled blood vessels that feed the tumourwhile locking out immune cells that would attack cancer cells.

UWA Professor Ruth Ganss, who is also head of the Perkins Cancerand Cell Biology Division, said the new treatment worked by generat-ing more normal blood vessels and lymph-node-like structures withinthe cancer, which together enabled immune cells to better reach thecancer core.

“Lymph nodes, a vital component of our immune system, normallyonly exist outside of the cancer and work to filter cancer cells andgenerate white blood cells that fight infection,” Professor Ganss said.

“Our drug strengthens the immune response against tumours byinducing these lymph-node-structures together with normalisedblood vessels, producing immune cells that infiltrate deep into thecancer. There are currently no single treatments available which canproduce these two features in cancers.

“Our research shows that once our drug has triggered the lymph-node-structures within the cancer, current immunotherapies thathave been approved for clinical use, can work more effectively. We’vetested our treatment on pancreas and lung cancer models, which are

Thank you to Netcare !CanSurvive Cancer Support wish to thank Netcare for theirassistance and encouragement.

We value the support and generosity ofNetcare and their staff and theircommitment to helping us to improvesupport for cancer patients and theirfamilies by providing a comfortable andaccessible venue and refreshments for ourmeetings in Parktown and Krugersdorp.

VISION, OCTOBER 2017

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particularly difficult to treat, and have had very promising results. Weenvision that a combination of our drug and existing immunothera-pies will greatly enhance the outcomes for patients in the future.”

The University of Western Australia

Biologists identify possible new strategy forhalting brain tumoursMassachusetts Institute of Technology biologists have discovered afundamental mechanism that helps brain tumours called glioblas-tomas grow aggressively. After blocking this mechanism in mice, theresearchers were able to halt tumour growth.

The researchers also identified a genetic marker that could be used topredict which patients would most likely benefit from this type oftreatment. Glioblastoma is usually treated with radiation and thechemotherapy drug temozolamide, which may extend patients’ lifes-pans but in most cases do not offer a cure.

Drugs that block a key protein involved in the newly discovered pro-cess already exist, and at least one is in clinical trials to treat cancer.However, most of these inhibitors do not cross the blood-brain barri-er, which separates the brain from circulating blood and preventslarge molecules from entering the brain. The MIT team hopes todevelop drugs that can cross this

Spearheaded by students and postdocs from several different labs,this project offers a prime example of the spirit of collaboration and“scientific entrepreneurship” found at MIT and the Koch Institute, theresearchers say.

“I think it really is a classic example of how MIT is a sort of bottom-up place,” Lees says. “Students and postdocs get excited about differ-ent ideas, and they sit in on each other’s seminars and hear interest-ing things and pull them together. It really is an amazing example ofthe creativity that young people at MIT have. They’re fearless.”

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Probiotics may help to prevent and treatcolon cancer A new study led by Dr. James Versalovic, a professor of pathology andimmunology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, TX, looks atwhether certain probiotics may be used to prevent or treat colorectalcancer associated with inflammatory bowel disease. So far, theresults - following tests in mice - are promising, but further investiga-tion is required.

According to recent investigations, the gut microbiome plays a keyrole in the development of colorectal cancer. However, many of themechanisms at play still remain unclear. Some research suggests thatusing probiotics to influence the microbiome may help to preventtumour formation.

Dr. Versalovic and his colleagues focused on the role of Lactobacillusreuteri, which is a probiotic naturally found in the guts of mammals.This bacterium has been shown to reduce inflammation in the intes-tine, so the team was interested in testing its effect on colorectalcancer tumours.

http://tinyurl.com/ycxwzv3f

It may soon be possible to treat fatalglandular cancerA new combination of existing drugs has been shown to block thecancer gene behind a fatal form of glandular cancer, adenoid cysticcarcinoma. The findings from the Sahlgrenska Academy can lead tonew treatment for patients with this disease relatively soon.

Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a slow-growing but fatal form of canceroriginating from different glandular tissues in for example the headand neck, the breast, the prostate and lung.

The disease occurs in both younger and older individuals. If thetumours are detected early they can be successfully treated withsurgery. However, for patients with metastatic and/or recurrent dis-ease there are no effective treatments available.

“Neither chemotherapy nor radiation therapy has any significanteffect on adenoid cystic carcinoma. So even though it is a slow-grow-ing cancer, the mortality rate in the long-term is very high”, saysMattias Andersson, researcher at the Sahlgrenska Cancer Centre.

Together with professor Göran Stenman, he leads the group behindthe new discoveries, which are presented in an article in the Journalof the National Cancer Institute.

The new treatment uses molecularly targeted drugs to block the can-cer gene that drives the growth of this cancer. It is based on researchthat the group has been working on for many years.

By studying activated signaling pathways in the cancer cells, theresearch team has now discovered a new way of turning off theMYB-NFIB fusion gene, the major driver of growth of this cancer.They have also developed a combination treatment that turns offboth the cancer gene and two other critical signaling pathways,which strongly inhibits tumour growth in the laboratory as well as inanimal experiments with human cancer tissues.

“Our strategy has been to search for existing drug candidates thatare already in clinical trials. Such substances only need a few moreyears of evaluation before they can be used clinically to treatpatients. This has sped up the process significantly and enables us tomake our results available to patients much sooner than otherwise”,says Mattias Andersson.

University of Gothenburg, Sweden

DISCLAIMER: This newsletter is for information purposes only and is notintended to replace the advice of a medical professional. Items contained inVision may have been obtained from various news sources and been editedfor use here. Where possible a point of contact is provided. Readers shouldconduct their own research into any person, company, product or service.Please consult your doctor for personal medical advice before taking anyaction that may impact on your health. The information and opinions expressedin this publication are not recommendations and the views expressed are notnecessarily those of CanSurvive Cancer Support or those of the Editor.

Throughout the year Hospice Wits host various short courses: the 5-day Introduction to Palliative Care,2,5-Day Grief, Loss andBereavement Workshop, 5-dayIntroduction to Paediatric Palliative Care, 3-day Non-ClinicalPalliative Care, 3-Day Physical Assessment Workshop, as well asother client specific courses which they present on request. For further details phone 011 483 9100 or email training@hospicewits.co.za.

Palliative care training