Treating Cancer Puts Multidisciplinary Team at Centre of Care in Johannesburg

Cancer care in South Africa is often described as a maze of appointments, specialists and decisions, and for many families the hardest part is simply knowing where to begin. In Johannesburg, the practice known as Treating Cancer is built around a simpler idea: one coordinated team that stays with the patient from the first consultation through treatment and beyond. Led by Dr Prinitha Pillay, a specialist radiation oncologist, the practice brings medical, surgical and radiation expertise together so that patients do not have to assemble their own care piece by piece.

As August 2026 brings a renewed focus on preventive health and early screening across the country, Treating Cancer is highlighting the value of a multidisciplinary approach for people who have recently been diagnosed or are weighing up their options. Cancer is on the rise and many patients are diagnosed late, which makes access to clear guidance and comprehensive treatment planning more important than ever. The practice aims to remove some of that uncertainty by reviewing each case as a team before any treatment decision is made.

At the centre of the model is a multidisciplinary team that includes medical, surgical and radiation oncologists, a medical physicist, radiotherapists, specialised nurses and a nutritionist. Every case is reviewed by this group so that the plan reflects more than one perspective. Dr Pillay, an experienced oncologist, gathers the medical information the team needs, then discusses the risks and benefits of each option and how it may affect a patient's quality of life. The goal is a plan suited to the individual rather than a one-size-fits-all pathway.

Patients have access to a broad range of modern cancer treatments. These include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, brachytherapy, radiofrequency ablation, nuclear medicine and modern surgical oncology techniques. The radiation services draw on advanced technology such as external beam radiotherapy, intensity-modulated radiotherapy and image-guided radiation therapy, which allow a high dose to be shaped around a tumour while sparing the healthy tissue around it. These options are delivered at state-of-the-art facilities equipped with current technology.

The practice treats a wide spectrum of cancers, including breast, gynaecological, gastrointestinal, thoracic, head and neck, genitourinary, neurological, bone, musculoskeletal, dermatological, ocular and paediatric cancers. This breadth means that patients and referring doctors can turn to a single practice for many different diagnoses, with the reassurance that each case is considered by specialists across the relevant disciplines.

Convenience and access are a deliberate part of the design. Dr Pillay consults and treats patients at their preferred facility, which helps to contain unnecessary costs, and the Johannesburg location is straightforward to reach for people travelling from elsewhere in the country or from abroad. Flexible treatment schedules can be arranged for patients who need to manage time away from work or home, and the practice keeps patient information confidential throughout. Consultations are available from 7am to 7pm.

Beyond the treatments themselves, the practice pays attention to the experience of living with cancer. Supportive and nutritional care form part of the plan, and specialised nurses help patients manage the day-to-day realities of treatment. The practice describes its aim as standing alongside patients rather than treating a disease in isolation, framing its work around courage and dignity rather than illness alone.

The practice's credibility rests on Dr Pillay's background. She holds a BSc Hons and MBBCh from the University of the Witwatersrand, an MSc from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, an MMed from Wits and a Fellowship in Radiation Oncology of the College of Medicine of South Africa. Before specialising in oncology she spent years in humanitarian medicine with Doctors Without Borders, working in settings that ranged from Lesotho and Sudan to Sierra Leone and both urban and rural South Africa, and she served as President of Doctors Without Borders in South Africa. She was named one of the top ten Women in Health by the Mail and Guardian in 2011, and later worked as a technical specialist on HIV and tuberculosis with Wits and advocated for better access to care in rural areas.

For a newly diagnosed patient, the first step is a consultation in which Dr Pillay reviews the medical information already gathered and explains what the multidisciplinary review will involve. Referring doctors remain part of the conversation, and the practice arranges its schedules to fit around their needs as well as the patient's. This coordination is intended to reduce the number of separate visits a patient has to make and to keep everyone involved working from the same plan.

The emphasis on advanced radiation technology reflects how much the field has changed. Techniques such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy and image-guided radiation therapy make it possible to target a tumour more precisely, which can help protect the surrounding organs and tissue. Combined with chemotherapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy where appropriate, this range of options lets the team tailor treatment to the type and stage of each cancer rather than relying on a single method.

Access to care has been a consistent thread through Dr Pillay's career, from her humanitarian work to her advocacy for rural health, and it continues to shape how the practice operates today. By treating patients at their preferred facility and keeping costs contained where possible, Treating Cancer tries to make specialist oncology reachable for people who might otherwise struggle to travel or to fund a lengthy course of treatment.

For anyone searching for an oncologist in Johannesburg, the wider context matters. Comprehensive, integrative cancer care that coordinates several specialists under one plan is increasingly recognised as a sound way to give patients a clear path through a complex illness. Treating Cancer places one-on-one relationships at the heart of that process, aiming to support not only the patient but also the family and friends who walk the journey alongside them.

Patients, families and referring doctors can find full details of the practice, the cancers it treats and its treatment options on the Treating Cancer website at https://treatingcancer.co.za/.

About Treating Cancer

Treating Cancer is the Johannesburg practice of Dr Prinitha Pillay, a specialist radiation oncologist registered under practice number PR0876046. The practice offers comprehensive, multidisciplinary cancer care that brings together medical, surgical and radiation oncology alongside supportive services such as nursing and nutrition. Treatments include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy and immunotherapy, stereotactic radiotherapy, brachytherapy and nuclear medicine, delivered at state-of-the-art facilities in South Africa.

Media Contact
Treating Cancer
Email: reception@treatingcancer.co.za
Phone: +27 66 272 6582
Website: https://treatingcancer.co.za