
HSA encourages women to protect themselves from cervical cancer
January is Cervical Health Awareness Month, and the HSA is encouraging women to take action to protect themselves from cervical cancer.
Our Haematology, Oncology & Chemotherapy Centre offers oncology services which include diagnosis and management of various cancers and non-cancer conditions.
HSA Oncology has been voted Gold for the Best of Cayman Islands 2023.
The unit saw a total of 1351 patients in 2020. The most common cancers presented are:
The most common non-cancers presented include:
Separated from the main hospital building, our Haematology, Oncology & Chemotherapy Centre offers patients an intimate and private setting. Our staff includes a full-time oncologist-haematologist and specialist oncology nurses who provide individualised care to each patient.
Cancer is a condition that can be very invasive, aggressive and fast spreading. Cancer begins to manifest when one cell grows, and therefore outgrows other cells in the body; this prevents cells from dividing and reproducing in an ordinary way. Cancers can vary depending on many different aspects, such as the speed of the spread and the severity of symptoms. In almost all cases, cancers will grow in the form of a tumor or growth: non-cancerous tumors are called ‘benign’, and cancerous tumors are called ‘malignant’.
The main way the spread of a cancer is tracked and recorded is through stages. The cancer stage helps a doctor to figure out if the cancer has remained localised or spread to other organs and/or the bones. For instance, Stages 1 and 2 mean that the cancer has remained largely stable, but Stage 3 means it has spread quite a bit. Stage 4 is the highest ‘stage’ of cancer. Stages are important because they can help your doctor decide the most effective treatment for a specific stage (and therefore severity) of cancer.
Below is an overview on the cancers we treat:
We offer the following cancer screenings and recommend talking with your doctor about when you should begin regular screenings.
Clinical breast exam, mammograms, ultrasound, MRI, blood test
Colonoscopies, stool test, blood test, CT
CT, blood test
Blood test (PSA), digital rectal examination
PAP test
Transvaginal ultrasound, tumor markers
Cold cap therapy can help reduce the loss of hair.
Our Chemotherapy Centre offers chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and endocrine therapy, as well as working collaboratively with the surgical unit to offer surgery as required.
We also provide cold cap therapy to reduce the loss of hair. Its cooling effect reduces blood flow to the scalp, which also reduces the amount of chemotherapy medication that reaches this area therefore helping in prevention of hair loss.
All patients are offered referrals to a psychologist and a nutritionist. Our Centre provides informational/educational materials as well. Additionally, there are different support groups managed by the Cancer Society and Breast Cancer Foundation.