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    PARKLANDS BREAST CLINIC

    Holistic Breast Cancer Treatment Centre

As a patient, you deserve world-class cancer treatment and personalised supportive care as you embark on your cancer fighting journey.

Specialist Care

We offer a comprehensive range of state-of-the-art cancer treatments and services, designed to provide the best possible care and outcomes for our patients. Methods of oncology treatment vary according to the type and stage of cancer, and general physical condition of the patient.

Chemotherapy

Brachytherapy

Stereotactic Radiosurger

Palliative Care

Immunotherapy

Hormonal Therapy

Targeted Therapy

Clinical Trials

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to target and destroy cancer cells. Cancer cells are human cells which have undergone mutation and no longer function normally because they divide and grow quicker than healthy cells.

It is a systemic medication, meaning it travels through the whole body and can therefore damage fast growing healthy cells as well and this is why chemotherapy can cause side effects like hair loss and nausea during treatment.

There are many ways that this treatment can be administered, but the two most common are orally or intravenously. The goals of chemotherapy depend on your type of cancer and how far it has spread. Sometimes, the goal is to cure cancer by destroying all the cancer cells and keep it from returning.

In other cases, the treatment is used to slow down the growth of the cancer cells and prevent it from spreading. The treatment can also help ease the symptoms caused by cancer.

Brachytherapy

Brachytherapy is a cancer treatment in which radioactive material sealed inside a seed, pellet, wire, or capsule is implanted in the body using a needle or catheter. During brachytherapy, radioactive material is placed close to or in the tumour to be treated.

The radiation given off by this source damages the DNA of nearby cancer cells, thereby eliminating cancer cells and reducing tumours. Brachytherapy is most commonly used to treat prostate cancer.

After many months, the radioactivity level of the implants reduces to nil. The seeds are inactive and remain in the patient’s body without any lasting effect.

Stereotactic Radiosurgery

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a non-surgical radiation therapy that uses many precisely focused radiation beams to treat tumours most commonly in the brain.

It uses 3D imaging to target high doses of radiation to the affected area with minimal impact on the surrounding healthy tissue.

Like other forms of radiation, stereotactic radiosurgery works by damaging the DNA of the targeted cells. The affected cells then lose the ability to reproduce, which causes tumours to shrink.

There are a number of ways that SRS can be delivered, including linear accelerator (LINAC), gamma knife and proton beam therapy.

Palliative Care

Palliative care is specialised medical care provided by a trained medical team concentrated on improving the quality of life of a patient and lowering the symptom burden. It focuses on preventing, managing and relieving the symptoms and side effects of cancer and treatment as well as supporting people living with cancer, along with their family, friends, and caregivers.

Palliative care is based on the needs of the patient, not on the patient’s prognosis. Anyone, regardless of age or type and stage of cancer, may receive palliative care before, after, and during treatment.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses substances made by the body or in a laboratory to boost the immune system and help the body find and destroy cancer cells. It helps the immune system work better at destroying cancer cells, stopping or slowing the growth and preventing cancer from spreading to other parts of the body.

Immunotherapy can treat many different types of cancer and can be used alone or in combination with chemotherapy and/or other cancer treatments.

Hormonal Therapy

Hormone therapy is a type of cancer treatment that removes, blocks, or adds specific hormones to the body.

Some types of cancer use the body’s natural hormones to fuel their growth and so by blocking them, the cancer growth is controlled or reduced.

Examples of cancers that respond to this type of treatment include breast, prostate, ovary and endometrial cancer.

Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy is the use of drugs to help stop cancer from growing and spreading by targeting specific genes and proteins found in cancer cells or cells related to cancer growth.

Target therapy is often used with chemotherapy and other treatments.

Clinical Trials

Most of the advances in chemotherapy over the past decade can be attributed to clinical research. This research involves new or existing treatments that are conducted according to a protocol which is approved by an Ethics Committee and Medicines Control Council.

We offer our patients the opportunity to participate in certain clinical trials, should they fit the specific criteria for that trial. This gives our patients access to new and exciting drugs that are still in development.

We provide a compassionate bridge of support between our patients and the healthcare system and support patients throughout their personal cancer journey be it face-to-face interactions and/or virtual consultations.

Specialist Team

Our team of expert doctors combines years of experience and specialized knowledge to provide exceptional care for every patient.

Dr SD Hariparsad - photo
Dr Sanjeev Hariparsad
Breast Surgeon
Diana-Pillay
Dr Diana Pillay
MBChB, DCH, DA, FC Rad Onc (SA), M.Med (Onc), M.Med MSc
MArion-Algar
Dr Marion Algar
MBChB, FC Rad Onc (SA), M.Med Oncology

Dr Sanjeev Hariparsad

Dr Sanjeev Hariparsad is a Specialist Surgeon and Breast Surgeon who will attend to your concerns. He has a deep understanding of breast disease, particularly breast cancer, and a strong background as a Specialist Surgeon.

He completed his medical degree at the University of KwaZulu- Natal in 2006, before specialising as a Surgeon in Durban. In 2014, he was attached to the Cambridge Breast Unit at Addenbrookes Hospital as the Honorary Breast Fellow where he further developed his knowledge and experience in Breast Surgery.

He then completed his registration as a Specialist Surgeon in 2016, and he is currently practicing as a Breast Surgeon at the Parklands Breast Centre of Excellence.

Dr Diana Pillay

Dr Diana Pillay completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Natal in 1992. Whilst serving her internship at McCord Hospital in Durban, she was introduced to the discipline of oncology.

Prior to specialising in oncology, Dr Pillay started her postgraduate studies and earned a Diploma in Child Health in 1994 and a Diploma in Anaesthetics in 1995. She obtained her Fellowship in Radiation Oncology (FC Rad Onc) from the College of Medicine of South Africa in 2000 and her Master of Medicine in Radiotherapy and Oncology (MMed) through the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2002. Dr Pillay then earned her MMed MSc (Bioethics and Health Law) in 2022, through the University of Witwatersrand.

Dr Pillay joined Hopelands Cancer Centre in 2003. Hopelands Cancer Centre offers comprehensive cancer care throughout KwaZulu-Natal, with Dr Pillay having serviced the South Coast since 2003. She was part of the team that assisted the public sector oncology clinics between 2019 and 2020.

Dr Pillay has a special interest in molecular oncology and its role in clinical medicine. She is also keen on addressing the ethical challenges facing cancer care in South Africa.

Dr Marion Algar

Dr Marion Algar graduated with her MBChB from the University of Cape Town in 2013. She completed her internship at the Pietermaritzburg Hospital Complex. For her year of community service, she worked in the Oncology Department at Klerksdorp Hospital.

Following her community service, she relocated back to her hometown of Durban where she worked as a medical officer in a private oncology practice. In 2019, Dr Algar moved to Cape Town to complete her specialisation in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Groote Schuur Hospital and the University of Cape Town. She obtained her Fellowship of the College of Radiation Oncologists of South Africa (FC Rad Onc) in 2022.

Dr Algar joined the Hopelands Cancer Centre team in August 2023. She treats a broad range of cancers and has a special interest in breast, gynaecological and gastrointestinal malignancies.