We still know little about Princess Kate Middleton’s cancer. Well, she had already gone under the knife and preventive chemotherapy had already been started. This is very common in colon and even more so in stomach cancer.
Saturday, March 23, 2024 at 6:42 PM
“It is difficult to make statements about Kate Middleton’s clinical picture,” says oncologist Marc Peeters. “We still know too little. It could be gastrointestinal cancer, but ovarian cancer is also a possibility.”
But he can explain what ‘preventive chemotherapy’ is. “In the medical world this is referred to as adjuvant or additional treatment. It prevents the cancer from coming back after complete removal of the tumor by the surgeon. At the original location or through metastases. It can be chemotherapy, but immunotherapy, radiotherapy or hormonal treatment can also be proposed as additional therapy.”
“Everything starts with complaints, and then the diagnosis. If a tumor is identified, a piece of tissue is usually removed,” says Peeters. “From that biopsy, the doctors know whether the tumor is malignant or not.”
If it is cancer, a complete assessment is made and the team then determines the treatment plan. Surgery is often started to remove the tumor. “After the procedure, a decision is made whether additional treatment is needed based on the microscopic examination of the cancer that has been removed. In many cases, chemotherapy is then started quickly. This is to prevent recurrence in the short or medium term. This reduces the chance of recurrence, but usually does not reduce it to zero. This treatment is started as soon as possible after the operation. Often within six to eight weeks. Of course, the patient must recover first. The duration of treatment depends on the cancer type. Usually the total duration is between 3 and 12 months. For colon cancer, which is rumored to be Kate’s diagnosis, follow-up treatment is frequently given.”
