The Princess of Wales has announced that she has completed the preventive chemotherapy she began after her doctors discovered she had cancer following major abdominal surgery in January. We look at what this could mean for Catherine in the future.
What is preventive chemotherapy?
Preventive chemotherapy is also known as adjuvant chemotherapy. It is usually given after a patient has had their primary treatment for cancer, such as surgery, and is given in to reduce the risk of the disease returning.
Chemotherapy works by killing any cancer cells that are still in the body after surgery but are not visible. Treatment usually lasts three to six months.
The effectiveness of the treatment depends on the type and stage of the cancer. In Catherine’s case, no information has been provided on this.
However, experts have previously said that the discovery of cancer during surgery for another condition – as was the case with Catherine – is often associated with the cancer being at an early stage, making post-operative chemotherapy more effective.
When did Catherine start her preventive chemotherapy?
The princess announced in March that she would undergo preventive chemotherapy, but the treatment started earlier, in February.
What does it mean now that she’s done with treatment?
“If she has now completed the preventive chemotherapy, what we call adjuvant chemotherapy, it would mean she could currently be considered cancer-free,” said Prof Alison Birtle, consultant oncologist at the Rosemere Cancer Centre at Royal Preston Hospital.
Lawrence Young, emeritus professor of molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, also said the news was positive. “It is likely that according to all the currently available tests – scans, blood tests – there is no evidence of cancer,” he said. “That doesn’t necessarily mean the cancer has been completely eradicated, but the hope is that it has.”
Catherine indicated in her announcement that she was indeed free of the disease.
“Doing what I can to remain cancer-free is my focus now,” she said in the statement released Monday. “Although I have completed chemotherapy, my path to healing and full recovery is long and I must take each day as it comes.”
Does Catherine need further treatment?
The palace has not provided further information, including whether Catherine will undergo regular check-ups, although such appointments are normally expected.
Andrew Beggs, professor of surgery and cancer genetics at the University of Birmingham, said: “She will need further follow-up and surveillance scans to make sure her cancer doesn’t come back. The exact duration of this will depend on the type of cancer she had.”
Young agreed. “She will need routine monitoring with scans and blood tests, but there is every reason to be hopeful that her cancer will not return,” he said.
Preventive chemotherapy does not guarantee that the cancer will not return, but it does help reduce the risk.
“If the cancer were to come back in the future, she would need (some) treatment at that point,” Birtle said. “Treatment would depend on where it came back, what the original type of cancer was and what treatment she’s already had, along with how long it might be in the future from her original diagnosis and treatment.”
But Birtle added: “Once she has completed the preventive chemotherapy, it is likely she will not need anything else at this point.”
Will Catherine now return to her normal duties?
Catherine is expected to make a handful of public appearances when she can in the coming months. However, decisions about 2025 have yet to be finalised and it is understood they will be made in line with medical advice.