As of: March 27, 2024, 10:47 a.m
By: Jasmina Deshmeh
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After her cancer diagnosis, Princess Kate is treated with adjuvant chemotherapy.
What types of cancer treatment is common for.
After long speculation and a video statement from Princess Kate, it is clear: the 42-year-old has cancer and now has to undergo adjuvant chemotherapy after abdominal surgery in January.
The term “adjuvant” means “complementary” and describes a supportive treatment measure in cancer therapy.
It is still unclear which cancer the mother of three suffered from.
However, the form of therapy could provide information about the princess's health and which types of cancer are possible.
Adjuvant chemotherapy: when is it used?
Princess Kate announced on a park bench that she had cancer and was undergoing preventative chemotherapy (symbolic image).
© Newscom/EyePress/Imago
Every cancer is different and the course of it can vary from person to person.
Cancer treatment is correspondingly individual.
For many types of tumors, the first step in treatment is often surgery.
Apparently this is also the case with Princess Kate.
Subsequent adjuvant chemotherapy may supplement surgery if not all cancer cells may have been removed surgically.
Medications are administered as tablets or infusions, so-called cytostatics.
They are intended to prevent cancer cells remaining in the body from dividing.
These can either circulate in the body or be present as tiny tumor deposits (so-called micrometastases) that are not visible using imaging techniques.
Patients then receive adjuvant chemotherapy as a preventive measure in order to reduce the risk of relapse and ultimately death, as the
German Cancer Society
informs.
Adjuvant chemotherapy: for which types of cancer is it an option?
Experts and patients must decide on a case-by-case basis whether adjuvant chemotherapy makes sense.
As with other medications, the treatment can have unpleasant side effects.
These include nausea and an increased susceptibility to infections.
In addition, the chances of success can vary significantly depending on the type of cancer, tumor stage and patient.
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Adjuvant chemotherapy usually begins six to eight weeks after surgery and is often used for the following types of cancer:
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In mammary carcinoma (breast cancer)
In colon cancer (large intestine cancer)
In rectal cancer (rectal cancer)
In prostate cancer (prostate cancer)
Experts suspected surgery on the intestines or the female genital organs
Kate's abdominal surgery in January caused a flood of speculation after the reason for the procedure was completely unclear.
Kate herself said in her video statement that the doctors initially did not think it was cancer.
An assumption that apparently was not confirmed.
The palace remains silent about exactly what type of cancer it is.
Three types of cancer are particularly common among younger women between 30 and 45: breast cancer, cervical cancer and colon cancer, as the
German Cancer Research Center
informs.
The death rate from colon cancer in particular has increased in European countries among 25 to 49 year olds, particularly in Great Britain, as a research report from the University of Milan in the journal “Annals of Oncology” shows.
And in Germany, colon cancer is also being diagnosed more and more frequently, as Professor Franz Bader from the Isar Clinic in Munich explains in an interview with
Merkur/tz
: “In Germany, colon cancer is also increasing rapidly, especially in patients between the ages of 30 and 50.”
Experts attribute this primarily to dietary and lifestyle habits.
Bader therefore advocates an expansion of preventative colonoscopies, including for younger patients.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. It in no way replaces a visit to the doctor. Our editorial team is not allowed to answer individual questions about medical conditions.