Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, recently announced that she has been diagnosed with cancer on Friday (22/4). She shared her cancer diagnosis through a video message.
Kate received the diagnosis after undergoing stomach surgery in January. At that time, she also underwent post-operative tests, which later revealed the presence of cancer. In the video statement, Kate also stated that she is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy for her cancer.
“Therefore, my medical team advised me to undergo preventative chemotherapy, and I am now in the early stages of this treatment,” said Kate as quoted by NBC News on Monday (25/3/2024).
However, Kate did not officially disclose the type of cancer she has. A representative from Kensington Palace stated that chemotherapy began at the end of February.
Doctors say that in general, preventative chemotherapy, or more specifically, “adjuvant” chemotherapy, is quite common after surgery to remove cancer.
“The person has undergone surgery to remove all visible cancer, and then we provide chemotherapy to try to eliminate or remove any remaining cells that may be in the body but are too small to be seen,” said Dr. Andrea Cercek, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City.
Meanwhile, according to Dr. Eleonora Teplinsky, chief medical oncologist for breast and gynecologic oncology at Valley Health System in New Jersey, the goal of adjuvant chemotherapy is to reduce the likelihood of cancer recurrence in the future.
Typically, preventative chemotherapy treatment uses the same chemotherapy drugs used to treat active or advanced cancer.
The type of additional chemotherapy and the duration of the treatment depend on the type of cancer diagnosed.
Chemotherapy can cause a number of side effects, including extreme fatigue, poor appetite, and nausea. Hair loss may also occur, but it is not always the case.
Chemotherapy also has the potential to weaken a person’s ability to fight off viruses and other diseases.
“Depending on the drugs he receives, there may be more individual side effects that we assess and monitor,” said Teplinsky.
Kate was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 42. Cancer experts worldwide note an increase in cancer cases in young adults.
