The King’s cancer diagnosis will have come as a terrible shock to many, but unfortunately statistics show that men – and those over the age of 75, as the King now is – are more likely to develop cancer than others.
The most encouraging aspect is that the disease appears to have been caught early, and early diagnosis equals the best chance of a cure.
It appears the diagnosis was made possible thanks to his recent hospital procedure – treatment for an enlarged prostate – although we are told he does not have prostate cancer.
While we may think this was a stroke of luck, it is not uncommon to discover an unrelated condition when a patient is admitted to the hospital for a planned surgery.
The most encouraging aspect is that the disease appears to have been caught early, and early diagnosis equals the best chance of a cure. In the photo, King Charles leaves the London Clinic
Many of my patients found it reassuring to know that their GP was present when they underwent surgery, and I wanted to be part of that. In the photo Dr. Martin Scurr
Usually this is the result of a general physical examination carried out as part of a prehospital assessment, an essential task in ensuring that the patient is suitable for general anaesthesia.
Such assessments may include a chest x-ray, especially in patients who may be considered at risk for anesthesia, either because of their age or because they have additional risk factors such as a history of smoking, asthma, or other cardiac or respiratory problems.
In my experience, a blood test as simple as a preoperative complete blood count, for example, has more than once revealed more serious disease prior to surgery for a completely unrelated condition.
It’s an unpleasant shock when this happens, but at least I remember those patients being cured – and the coincidence of the diagnosis made immediately prior to an unrelated surgery was satisfyingly what saved their lives.
For example, a physical examination may also reveal a skin lesion, such as the malignant melanoma noted in the Duchess of York when she underwent reconstructive breast surgery following a mastectomy.
I once noticed an enlarged lymph node in a patient when he was under anesthesia for abdominal surgery – removal of his gallbladder.
In my experience, a blood test as simple as a preoperative complete blood count, for example, has more than once revealed more serious disease prior to surgery for a completely unrelated condition (stock image)
What determines the aggression of cancer is not only where it originates, but also the general physical resilience of the affected individual (stock image)
Although I was a general practitioner, I functioned as a surgical assistant. Many of my patients found it reassuring to know that their GP was present when they underwent surgery, and I wanted to be part of that.
I arranged for a lymph node biopsy and a day or two later it turned out that the patient had lymphoma for which he was subsequently treated – and has been cured to this day.
The royal family has some experience with cancer. Not least George VI, the grandfather of our current King, who underwent removal of his cancerous lung at Buckingham Palace by a surgical team from Westminster Hospital – my father was one of two anesthetists.
Several years later, the Queen Mother underwent surgery to remove part of her colon and was cured of colon cancer.
What this reflects is that cancer is common, and in this case not so much a familial trend. And it’s becoming increasingly common: There was a time when medical students were told that cancer will eventually affect one in five people. In the current era, with better diagnosis and effective treatment, and unfortunately increasing risk factors such as obesity, the incidence of cancer is now said to be one in three.
But rest assured: survival rates, especially with earlier diagnosis, are better than ever, regardless of the origin of the cancer.
What determines the aggression of cancer is not only where it originates, but also the general physical resilience of the affected individual.
This is why His Majesty, slim, energetic and with a well-known approach to both exercise and a healthy diet, is in the best position to recover from what is happening to him now.