Kate Middleton cancer diagnosis: What is preventive chemotherapy?

Following abdominal surgery in January, Catherine, Princess of Wales, has been largely absent from the public eye.

A number of conspiracy theories have been circulating on the internet regarding her whereabouts and her husband Prince William’s alleged affair with Sarah Rose Hanbury.

In a video she posted as a health update, Kate Middleton put an end to those concerns, revealing that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is currently receiving treatment in the “early stages.”

She also said she was undergoing “preventative” chemotherapy.

The shocking revelation follows King Charles III's cancer diagnosis which occurred after a procedure for an enlarged prostate.

Let’s take a closer look.

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What did Kate Middleton say?

In a personal video released Friday afternoon, Middleton said the diagnosis came after she had undergone abdominal surgery in January at the London Clinic. The princess was discharged from the clinic on 29 January, having spent 13 nights there, according to The Guardian.

She said, “In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous.”

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“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment,” the 42-year-old added.

She said her diagnosis had been a “huge shock” and that “William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”

Middleton, who is married to the heir to the British throne, Prince William have three children – 10-year-old Prince George, eight-year-old Princess Charlotte, and five-year-old Prince Louis.

“It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be OK,” she said in the video message.

Middleton did not specify the kind of cancer for which she had received a diagnosis.

According to a royal source who spoke to CNN, Kate started chemotherapy in late February. William and Kate decided to disclose her diagnosis on Friday, the day their kids started their Easter vacation.

The source stated that although she was supposed to resume official duties following Easter, she would now hold off on doing so until her medical team gives the all-clear.

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What is preventative chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy, which is intended to kill cancerous cells, is the word used to describe a person who has been diagnosed with cancer; nevertheless, Kate specifically used the term “preventative chemotherapy.”

“Preventative chemotherapy” is not a term used in medicine; rather, it refers to a wide range of medicines or treatments for different types of cancer, as per News18.

Preventative chemotherapy, also called adjuvant therapy, is frequently used following surgery to lessen the likelihood that the cancer may return and spread.

Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at the University of Warwick, told Sky News, “Even after successful removal of all visible cancer by surgery, microscopic cancer cells can remain lurking in the body and can’t be detected by current tests.”

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How is it different from regular chemotherapy?

Dr Katherine Van Loon, professor of medicine and a gastrointestinal oncologist at the University of Calfornia, San Franciso (not personally connected to Kate’s case), told Time.com that the majority of the chemotherapy drugs used in preventative treatment are also utilised in patients with active or advanced cancer.

Adjuvant chemotherapy eliminates any last, microscopic cells that might have tricked a surgeon into missing something. According to the report, it also eliminates any cells that might have gotten out and spread to other body parts.

According to Dr Jeremy Jones, interim chair of haematology and oncology at the Mayo Clinic, studies have shown that receiving chemotherapy for three to six months following surgery can help lower the chance of cancer returning, depending on the kind of cancer.

“It’s standard of care to reduce the risk of recurrence for many types of cancer,” Jones was quoted as saying.

Dr Beth Karlan, the director of women’s health research at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Centre, observed that patients getting preventative chemotherapy might require a shorter course of treatment than those receiving standard chemotherapy to address severe illness.

When is it used?

According to Jones, the choice to proceed with preventative chemotherapy is based on several variables, the primary one being the cancer’s stage.

He explains the term “stage of cancer” refers to whether cancerous cells have progressed to lymph nodes or other body areas. Adjuvant chemotherapy is typically used for malignancies that are later staged and have a higher chance of reoccurring.

According to Sky News which quoted Dr Mangesh Thorat, Honorary Reader at Queen Mary University of London and Consultant Breast Surgeon at Homerton University Hospital, screenings and tests are unable to identify tiny tumours; therefore, when cancer is suspected, preventive measures are taken.

“Surgery is the most curative form of treatment for early-stage cancers of solid organs. However, occasionally some cancer cells escape the organ of their origin and start residing in other organs such as lung or liver.”

“Tests and scans currently available are unable to detect such microscopic spread and therefore to improve chances of cure, presumptive treatment of such likely spread is often undertaken even after the cancer in the solid organ of origin is completely removed,” he said.

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How is it administered?

Typically, medication is infused into a patient over several hours in a hospital or other facility.

However, it is noteworthy that some people might require more time; in such cases, patients might be sent home with a port and a pump that would deliver the chemotherapy frequently for about a day, according to Time.com.

The majority of preventative chemotherapy has a minimum three-month duration.

Chemotherapy side effects “also depend on the type of drugs used but commonly include fatigue, nausea, increased risk of infection, and appetite loss,” according to Prof Lawrence who spoke with Sky News.

With inputs from agencies