Oncology

The first few weeks of shock and uncertainty after being diagnosed with cancer is a  traumatic experience, both for the patient and the family and in many ways it robs them of their security as well as their peace of mind.

Wilmed Park Private Hospital assures their patients, that they will be treated with the most advanced equipment and treatment methods available anywhere in the world. Our oncologists specialise in all types of chemo- and radiotherapy and will select the best treatment for the patient. Our doctors also superspecialised in all the branches of oncology - haemotological oncology, conformal radiation, branchytherapy, neuroradiosurgery, imunotherapy, and treatment with all the latest  remedies and techniques.

Our oncologists are assisted by competent nurses and radiographers to ensure that the patient will receive the correct treatment as prescribed. Our patients can make use of our support services to help them eliminate or deal with the uncertainty.

In simple terms, radiotherapy means treatment with ionising rays, in this case with high-energy X-rays and electron Beams which have various energy levels.

To understand how ionising rays work, you must first understand how cancer cells affect your body.

Cancer starts with one cell that has lost control over its growth. Normal cells divide in a highly controlled manner to form new cells. Cancer cells also divide and form new cells but at a more rapid rate and without knowing when to stop dividing.

The success of irradiation lies in the fact that malignant cells are more sensitive to irradiation than normal cells. The goal of irradiation is therefore to irradiate until the malignant cells have been killed or sterilised. The surounding normal tissue is, however, still capable of complete recovery.

It is only human to be concerned about the side effects of irradiation, especially as there are so many misconceptions about irradiation

Nausea and vomiting: Only patients who receive irradiation over their abdominal organs sometimes experience nausea and vomiting

Bladder: Patients who receive irradiation over the lower abdominal area may suffer from diarrhoea, constipation, a burning sensation when urinating and/or piles.

Mouth and throat problems: Patients receiving irradiation over the throat area will start suffering from a sore throat after about 10 treatments.

Diarrhoea: If you have 3 or 4 loose stools a day, you should drink clear fluids (soup, soft drinks, tea and water - 2 liters per day)

Skin reactions

Hair loss (alopecia): Your hair will only fall out if you receive radiation over the scalp. Irradiation of other parts of the body will not cause hair loss on the head.

Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer by means of chemical drugs. It is administered to kill cancer cells or to retard or prevent their growth. Sometimes a combination of more then one drug is given in order to fight the tumour cells in different ways.

Chemotherapy sensitizes the cancer cells to the effect of irradiation, therefore these 2 methods are often combined to obtain the best result for a specific condition. The chemotherapeutic drugs reach the cells via the blood stream. Cancer cells divide very rapidly and consequently absorb most of the chemotherapy, therefore they will die off and not divide and grow any further. 

Chemotherapy is administered in 5 ways:

Intravenously

Intra-arterially

orally

intramuscularly

Subcutaneous Injection

Some medicines can cause nausea and vomiting, the intensity of this varies from person to person. Anti-emetic medicine will always be given in combination with the chemotherapy. there is a variety of tablets, suppositories and injections that can be given to fight nausea, please ask, so the nursingstaff to arrange a script and use this medication regularly

Sistitis (bladder infection): report irritations of the bladder to the oncologist, so you can receive treatment if there is an infection

Discoloured Uringe: Some medicines can discolour the urine, it is important to increase your liquid intake so the kidneys can be flushed

Mouth and throat problems: Patients receiving irradiation over the throat area will start suffering from a sore throat after about 10 treatments.

Diarrhoea: If you have 3 or 4 loose stools a day, you should drink clear fluids (soup, soft drinks, tea and water - 2 liters per day)

Hairloss: Some of the medicines can cause hairloss, this is only temporary and the hair will grow back after the treatment has been finished