Kate Middleton announced on Friday, March 22, that she has been diagnosed with cancer and while she kept further details under wraps, she revealed that she is now undergoing ‘preventive chemotherapy’.
The Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnosis has raised significant concern, with many people wondering what type of cancer she may have, but more importantly, what does it mean for her to be undergoing ‘preventive chemotherapy’.
Talking to The Health Digest, Eleonora Teplinsky, MD, Head of Breast and Gynecologic Medical Oncology at Valley Health System, Paramus, NJ, and Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, broke down what Kate’s treatment plan means for those unversed.
“Preventive chemotherapy in this case is being given after cancer surgery to reduce the risk of recurrence. Another term for this that we use more often is adjuvant chemotherapy," Dr. Eleonora explained.
Dr. Eleonora went on share how preventive chemotherapy can help those struggling with cancer, saying, “Even though a cancer surgery may remove all the visible cancer, there may be microscopic disease that is not seen. Chemotherapy after surgery is given in some situations (depending on type and stage of the cancer) to get rid of that potential microscopic disease and reduce risk of recurrence.”
Her comments come days after Kate released a heartfelt video message explaining how she was diagnosed with cancer after a ‘major abdominal surgery’.
