What is ‘preventive chemotherapy’ that Kate Middleton is getting?
On Friday evening, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, shocked the world with a video announcement that she has cancer. As absurd rumors about her having died or being murdered by her husband Prince William, took hold on social media, the future Queen of England broke her silence and made a rare public appearance.
Sitting on a bench, composed and calm, the Princess said that doctors found cancer after her “successful” abdominal surgery. She said she’s receiving “the early stages” of preventive chemotherapy. She did not offer more details about what type of cancer she has been diagnosed with or what stage her disease is at.
But there are clues in her message. Let’s look at exactly what is ‘preventive chemotherapy’.
Preventive chemotherapy, or chemoprevention, is the use of a medicine or a supplement to prevent cancer from developing in high-risk patients.
The chemo in this instance can be used in a healthy person to stop cancer from developing, in a person who has pre-cancerous or stage 0 cancer to stop the cells from becoming malignant, or in a person who already has one form of cancer to stop another cancer from developing.
Chemoprevention is primarily used in three types of cancer: breast, prostate (in men) and colon. However, it is also used, albeit less often, in lung, skin and neck cancers.
Preventive chemotherapy is mostly delivered via IV tube or pills, usually in outpatient procedures. The patient does not need to be admitted to hospital.
We hope that Princess Kate is able to beat her disease quickly and easily. Here’s wishing her and her family the best of luck on their journey.