Two months after undergoing abdominal surgery, Kate Middleton revealed in a video for the first time that she had cancer. The Princess of Wales explained that she is undergoing chemotherapy, but Kensington Palace in London is still unclear about her health condition.

Ambiguity surrounding the process

First, Kate did not reveal the type of surgery she underwent on January 16. The operation itself did not become known until the next day, when a brief official note announced that the princess was recovering from an already scheduled operation. On that occasion, the hypothesis of a tumor diagnosis was ruled out. British royal family employees limited themselves to saying that the operation was successful.

The tumor was discovered after the operation

There are no details about the type of tumor that Kate Middleton was diagnosed with. For his part, he only determined that it was cancer in its early stages, after it was not discovered until after post-operative examinations. As he explainedFather AgencyIn rare cases, the tumor is discovered only in the stages following surgery. The condition affects four percent of those who undergo surgery for what is believed to be a benign disease, according to Dr. Human Fong, a surgeon at the City of Hope Cancer Center in Southern California. It is also rare for the tumor to be diagnosed in a young patient, like 42-year-old Kate. But the incidence of some tumors, Aap recalls, is increasing, especially in developed countries: “At the same time, Dr. Fung adds, young people are the patients who recover better.”

Treatment and side effects

Kensington Palace confirmed in a note that no further medical details would be revealed about the Princess of Wales, who “has a right to medical privacy like the rest of us.” The only information known relates to the start of chemotherapy, which began at the end of February. As August reminds us, after successful surgery, chemotherapy is used to kill any remaining cancer cells and to prevent the cancer from coming back. Compared to the past, treatment can also be short and at low doses. The most common side effects of chemotherapy are fatigue, nausea, tingling in the hands and feet, and only occasionally hair loss, said Dr. Monica Avila of Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. A series of medications are now available that help reduce the side effects of treatment. In addition to the possibility of using cold helmets that work on the scalp to prevent hair loss.

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