Princess Kate is undergoing 'preventative chemotherapy.' Here's what that means
What is preventative chemotherapy? Princess Kate said she is undergoing chemotherapy after cancer was found during abdominal surgery.
Kate, the Princess of Wales, said Friday that she is in the early stages of “preventative chemotherapy” for cancer that was found following abdominal surgery in January.
In a taped video statement, the future queen of England said that at the time of her surgery, doctors did not believe her condition was cancerous. Tests done afterward, however, found that “cancer had been present,” she said.
“My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy, and I’m now in the early stages of that treatment,” Kate said in the video. A Kensington Palace representative said the chemotherapy began in late February.
Kate did not say what type of cancer doctors found, or how advanced it was. But cancer doctors say that in general, preventive or, more specifically, “adjuvant” chemotherapy is quite common following surgery that finds cancer.
“It’s almost like an insurance policy,” said Dr. Andrea Cercek, a gastrointestinal oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. “The person has had surgery to remove all the cancer that is visible, and then we give chemotherapy to try to eliminate or get rid of any remaining cells that might be in the body but are too small to be seen.”
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