South Africa has adopted the month of October to focus on breast and other cancers.
This complex group of conditions is responsible for many deaths and a significant degree of illness in the country.
According to the communications manager of the South African National Blood Service (SANBS), Ms Vanessa Raju, cancers of the blood such as leukaemia are common.
These cancers feature as the top type of cancer among South African children up to the age of 19.
Ms Raju said about one in six men and one in six women will develop cancer during their lifetime. She said that with leukaemia, cancerous cells are found throughout the body, in the blood or in bone marrow. “There is no tumour or growth, making it sometimes difficult to detect and diagnose,” said Ms Raju.
Patients experience different symptoms, which vary in combination and severity. These include general weakness and feeling of tiredness, frequent infections, bruising or bleeding easily, blood in urine or stools, or pain in the bones or joints.
Ms Raju said that as leukemia attacks the body’s blood supply and interferes with the normal production of blood cells red, white and plasma cells, it is common for patients to be insufficient in red blood cells and develop anaemia, or have too few of the other types of blood cells.
“These developments make patients feel tired, breathless or more prone to infections. Treatment requires boosting blood counts with healthy, donated cells in the form of blood transfusions,” said Ms Raju.
She explained that many people with leukaemia often come to think of transfusions as a lifeline as fresh blood invigorates them, and with new energy they feel enabled to keep up with the severe demands of treatment and to maintain hope of defeating the cancer.
She said that blood is a unique medical resource and unlike other products, it cannot be manufactured in a laboratory or a factory because it comes from people.
Most of these patients will need blood transfusions as part of their treatment, so the SANBS is urging the nation to keep in mind the importance of having a sufficient supply of safe blood.
“Give often, give generously as it is not just the thousands of leukaemia cancer patients who need your gift of life; patients of other terminal diseases, gynaecological complications and accident victims are also among those who need blood transfusions,” said Ms Raju.
According to Ms Raju, the concern about cancer is an important reason to donate blood as most people know someone who has cancer.
