Pretoria - Patients at the Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital will today see the launch of a new technique for the treatment of prostate cancer.

Radiation oncologist based at the hospital, Professor Vinay Sharma, said approximately 50 percent of patients attending the Charlotte Maxeke hospital diagnosed with prostate cancer will benefit from this new technique.

"This combination will bring down the waiting period for treatment in the hospital for this cancer. This treatment will also be cost effective in comparison to the seed implantation being done at present in private sector," he said.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of deaths among men in South Africa. The most common risk factors include age (men over 50 are at risk), family history and unhealthy diet (food high in animal fat and protein). Black men tend to present with more advanced prostate cancer.

The launch will see experts from radiation oncology, urology and medical physics taken through a hands-on demonstration of prostate branch therapy procedures, treatment planning and evaluation by Professor Nisar Syed from the University of Long Beach, Los Angeles, California, USA.

Workshops and lectures will be conducted by Professor Syed, the pioneer of prostate branch therapy, at the hospital until Wednesday.

"This type of workshop is being held for the 1st time in a public sector institution in South Africa. We are expecting over 100 delegates from different academic hospitals in South Africa as well as from African countries like Zimbabwe and Ghana," said Sharma. - BuaNews

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THE continuing strike at SA’s diamond regulator threatened the sale of the stones in the country , the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said yesterday.

Workers at the South African Diamond and Precious Metal Regulator have been on strike since last Friday, disrupting diamond imports and exports .

However, Standard Bank analyst Peter Davey said the diamond market would be affected by the stay-away only if the industrial action persisted.

"I would be surprised if the strike had a material effect on the market. SA is a lot smaller than Botswana in the global context, especially at the top-end jewellery part of the market," he said.

The chairman of the NUM’s branch at the regulator , Mangaliso Babu, said workers had "vowed to close the operations if (the) unwritten issues of corruption and nepotism are not addressed".

He said the employer needed to grant workers a 10% salary increase and a R1000 housing allowance, and review recruitment procedures and conditions of service . The regulator is offering a 9% salary increase.

CEO Levy Rapoo said last Friday that no diamonds were exported on that day, because of the strike.

"We did not anticipate the strike action. It is regrettable that the people who are responsible for the exportation of these diamonds are the very same people who are on strike," he said.

andersona@bdfm.co.za

Source : Business Day