Princess Kate announces she is undergoing treatment for cancer

[LeftInTX]

LONDON — Kate, the Princess of Wales, announced Friday that she was diagnosed with cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, breaking her silence after weeks of widespread speculation over her health.

The 42-year-old wife of Prince William, Britain’s future king, was hospitalized for nearly two weeks at the private London Clinic after having major abdominal surgery in January.

It was thought that her condition was noncancerous and that the surgery had been successful, Kate said Friday in a rare video message. "However," she said, "tests after the operation found cancer had been present.”

Kate said that she was now undergoing “a course of preventative chemotherapy” on the advice of her medical team. She did not specify what type of cancer she has or at what stage it was found, and Kensington Palace has not said why the operation was necessary.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/princess-kate-middleton-cancer-chemotherapy-absence-royals-uk-rcna144671

(NBC broke the news of her press conference) I'm sure the video will show up somewhere.

[hlthe2b]

1. Only the best wishes for her...

I know this won't totally stop some of the very ugly recent rumor-mongering and conspiracy theories, but maybe there will be some pause.

[LeftInTX]

2. I don't pay too much attention to the royal family, but her press conference popped up on hubby's TV.

So, I thought I would post it.

[elleng]

3. Thank you.

[nolabear]

4. "Preventative chemotherapy"?

I assume it hasn’t metastasized but am curious about the term as differentiated from other chemo. I hope this will quell the criticism and doubt it will the curiosity. May she get well and thrive.

[LeftInTX]

5. I don't think she wanted to get into details.

However, it explains her prolonged absence, but also ability to return to public duties.

(This happens with lots of people who are diagnosed with cancer. They under go chemo. They get the clear to return to work etc. There are no guarantees of the future. My SIL returned to work, but it returned about 12 years later)

[Model35mech]

6. I suspect it's an communication to reassure the public...

preventions are done -before- events take place.

My guess is that it is to signal metastasis wasn't observed.

[ms liberty]

8. I would guess that this means

That the surgeon removed a mass or tumor that contained cancerous cells. The removed section would have to have had clean margins, which means they excised extra tissue around the cancer(a margin) that was noncancerous (clean). In that kind of case they would recommend chemotherapy to kill any stray cancer cells. I'm not a doctor, so how do I know this? I lived it.
I had breast cancer in 97. I had a mastectomy and the tumor was so large that they took all my lymph nodes in that arm, and tested them all. It had not spread to any of them (my oncologist was surprised) and it's the first place breast cancer spreads to after the breast. (Whew!) I still had 3 or 4 months of chemo though because of the stray cells potential. Chemo really sucks, but I think they have some better drugs for the side effects now than they did when I went through it!

[Irish_Dem]

10. Yes perhaps it means the margins were clean and no met to other organs.

Glad you are doing well!

Yes she is getting state of the art treatment I imagine.

[nolabear]

13. Thank you. It was t clear to me what the chemo targeted.

Tbh I’m still not certain but it’s ignorance on my part.

I’m glad yours was successful.

[Irish_Dem]

9. It sounds like she believes all the cancer was removed.

And the chemo is to prevent a further occurrence.

Or she is saying it this way to reassure herself, her family and the public.

[woodsprite]

11. My first bout with endometrial cancer I was offered

Preventative therapy. They had excised everything, got clean margins and a clean wash, but due to the location they offered me rads (adjuvant therapy). I declined because it was a one-and-done treatment. If it came back, I couldn’t have it again. It came back 15 yrs later, and that was enough time for science to discover a chemo that would work.

Still had to do rads along with the chemo and surgery the second time, but I’m good now. If her chemo is something like Carboplatin and paclitaxol, hair fallout will be an issue and started for me 2 wks after my 2nd dose. If it’s something like the one of the immunotherapy chemos, I think there is less disturbance, and for some, less side effects.

[nolabear]

14. Thank you. That's very helpful.

So happy yours was successful. Chemo sucks but I imagine having your eyes on the prize of good health helps.

[LisaL]

12. With cancer, they can cut out all the tumor (or they think they cut out all the tumor), but if

there are any cells that didn't get cut out, the cancer will grow again.
So chemotherapy will ideally prevent that from happening. It doesn't necessarily mean it already metastasized.

[nolabear]

15. I understood that. Well, I thought I did.

I’m still not sure if they got it all what the chemo would act on but that’s just my ignorance.

[William769]

7. Godspeed on her recovery.

She's a lovely lady and I wish her nothing but the best in her recovery.