Articles

Throughout human history, the search for a universal cure has captivated the minds of philosophers, healers and scientists across time and cultures. In Greek mythology, the goddess Panacea was believed to possess a potion to treat all afflictions. We still…

There is not a dull moment when Tulasi Singh is around. She makes sure that the women’s hall on the fifth floor of the Gadge Maharaj Dharamshala, a subsidised hostel for cancer patients close to the Tata Memorial Hospital in…

The success of treatment cessation in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), outlined in an earlier Cancerworld feature, is opening the way for treatment breaks – or cessation with monitoring – to be considered in advanced solid tumours, including breast, kidney, colorectal,…

The length of time it takes for each new cancer drug to reach the market – and more importantly, the patient – remains a cause of deep frustration particularly among those whose lives depend on accessing new options. Concrete data…

In Africa, women's infertility carries a heavy stigma; it becomes their label. Many end up feeling worthless, face harsh treatment from in-laws, abandonment by spouses, or relegation to polygamous marriages, as husbands take additional wives capable of bearing children. For…

Smokeless tobacco products such as paan masala, gutkha, khaini, mishri and snuff are chewed, sucked or sniffed rather than smoked, with the nicotine absorbed through the nose and mouth. Many contain more than 4,000 chemicals, 30 of which are linked to cancer. …

“Did you remember to bring the sunscreen?” Public awareness of the need to protect against the risk of melanoma from excessive exposure to UV rays from the sun has risen dramatically over recent decades. ‘Bringing the sunscreen’ is now a…

Around the start of the millennium, the therapeutic landscape for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), a rare type of blood cancer affecting the bone marrow and white blood cells, was transformed by the arrival of a revolutionary cancer drug. This was…

Effective palliative care has become a growing priority in African health services in recent decades. This is partly a result of the increasing burden of non-communicable diseases including cancer – and the sad reality that palliative care is often all…

'Cancer’ is the weightiest of words. Jacky remembers the impact those two short syllables had when she was given her results after tests for breast cancer. “I went into this little room and they told me that I had cancer…