Cancer Alliance Stigma Survey

Cancer stigma is a great problem in South Africa, it touches all groups, ages and genders and impacts cancer patients daily.

With our current survey we aim to gain more information and insight into the role of cancer stigma in our communities.

- Cancer Alliance Stigma Survey -

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Survivor Stories - Brain Cancer

A brain tumor, or tumour, is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor (defined as an abnormal growth of cells) within the brain or the central spinal canal. Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal. They are created by an abnormal and uncontrolled cell division, usually in the brain itself, but also in lymphatic tissue, in blood vessels, in the cranial nerves, in the brain envelopes (meninges), skull, pituitary gland, or pineal gland. Within the brain itself, the involved cells may be neurons or glial cells (which include astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, and ependymal cells). Brain tumors may also spread from cancers primarily located in other organs (metastatic tumors).

Any brain tumor is inherently serious and life-threatening because of its invasive and infiltrative character in the limited space of the intracranial cavity. However, brain tumors (even malignant ones) are not invariably fatal, especially lipomas which are inherently benign. Brain tumors or intracranial neoplasms can be cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign); however, the definitions of malignant or benign neoplasms differs from those commonly used in other types of cancerous or non-cancerous neoplasms in the body. Its threat level depends on the combination of factors like the type of tumor, its location, its size and its state of development. Because the brain is well protected by the skull, the early detection of a brain tumor occurs only when diagnostic tools are directed at the intracranial cavity. Usually detection occurs in advanced stages when the presence of the tumor has caused unexplained symptoms.

Primary (true) brain tumors are commonly located in the posterior cranial fossa in children and in the anterior two-thirds of the cerebral hemispheres in adults, although they can affect any part of the brain.


Dan Shapiro | Brain Cancer

1991 was most certainly the best year of my life, attached with it however comes enormous irony. In that year I repeated my Matric since I devoted my initial Matric year to one subject, Computer Science.As it happened, during my Computer Science Final Exam in 1991, I experience a somewhat extreme version of a Migraine... Read more

Gerhard Welack | CA Brain Astrisitoom Grade 3

Diagnosis: CA Brain Astrisitoom Grade 3 in 1998 Picture it . Goodwood, Cape Town, 1997. Christmas eve ,8pm, I’m in the local hospital in severe pain. On account of rainy weather; I had an accident with my motorcycle. I cracked my collarbone. The doctor booked me off-sick for a month for the reason that my... Read more

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