Explainer | Kate Middleton cancer: what is preventative chemotherapy, the treatment received by Britain’s Princess of Wales?
- The royal recently revealed that she is currently undergoing preventative chemotherapy to treat cancer discovered after she had abdominal operation
- Preventative chemotherapy is given before or after a primary treatment, such as surgery, to reduce the chance of a cancer returning or spreading
After weeks of public speculation about the health of Britain’s Princess of Wales, Kate on Friday said in a video that she is receiving “preventative” chemotherapy after an abdominal surgery in January revealed cancer.
Kate did not give details of the type or stage of cancer, or share her specific treatment plan, making it difficult to assess the potential impacts on her health.
Here is what we know about preventative chemotherapy:
What is preventative chemotherapy?
Preventative chemotherapy is given before or after a primary treatment, such as surgery, to reduce the chance of a cancer returning or spreading.
Preventative treatments given before the primary treatment are called neoadjuvant therapy. Preventative treatments given afterward, as in Kate’s case, are called adjuvant therapy.
Adjuvant chemotherapy can “mop up” any remaining cancer cells, but its value varies by cancer type and by its size and location, said Professor Bob Phillips, a paediatric oncologist at the University of York.
Later, patients may go on to receive maintenance therapy to prevent the cancer’s return or to delay its growth.
