What is Preventative Chemo, Kate Middleton Cancer Treatment Explained

British royal family news reveals that today Catherine, the Princess of Wales announced she has cancer and is receiving preventative chemotherapy.

The shocking news comes after an unrelated abdominal surgery in January. Tests done at that time later revealed she has cancer although the palace has not said what type, its location, or what stage.

Read on to learn what preventative chemotherapy is and how it will used to help Kate in her recovery battle.

Royal Family News: Catherine’s Preventive Chemotherapy

Preventative chemotherapy is also called adjuvant chemotherapy. It is used to stop cancer returning after a tumor has been removed from the body, according to the Daily Mail.

Cancer can spread from one part of the body to other areas in a process labeled metastasis. In this case rogue cancer cells “break off the main tumor and take root elsewhere.”

Princess Kate Has Cancer, Undergoing Chemotherapy, Vows She will BE OK!

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Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to wipe out tumors. It is usually prescribed to treat cancer directly but it can also be used to shrink a tumor prior to surgery.

As in Kate’s case, chemotherapy can also be used as a preventative option as a way of preventing cancer from returning.

The 42-year old mother of three told the world in a prerecorded video message that she began the treatment in late February.

Kate Middleton’s Preventive Chemotherapy

According to the outlet, Kate explained that she was “advised to undergo a course of preventative chemo and described herself as being in the ‘early stages’ of that treatment.”

The outlet notes that “These ‘new’ cancers can be hard to detect so medics … often advise patients to undergo preventative chemotherapy in a bid to eliminate any remaining traces of the disease.”

Preventative chemotherapy drugs are cytotoxic, meaning they kill cells, “in particular those that divide rapidly.” It is usually administered via an IV drip or tablets, and the medicine then travels throughout the body by the bloodstream.
Unwanted symptoms include damage to cells throughout the system, including bone marrow, skin, and the lining of the digestive system.

Princess Kate’s Shock Cancer Announcement

Chemotherapy patients commonly experience “hair loss or thinning, fatigue, bruising and bleeding more easily, increased risk of infection, diarrhea or constipation, nausea or vomiting, rashes and more.”

The effectiveness of preventative chemotherapy “varies considerably from patient-to-patient” and can be dependent on factors such as the type of cancer and the age of the patient.

What is Preventative Chemotherapy?

In the UK some 375,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed annually, with nearly 200,000 patients dying from the disease each year. Overall, 50 percent of cancer patients are alive 10 years after diagnosis.

Here are extracts from Kate’s announcement:

“I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you, personally, for all the wonderful messages of support and for your understanding whilst I have been recovering from surgery.”

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

She went on to say that the diagnosis was a shock and that she and William have taken 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 added “We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery.”

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