2024-03-23 14:08:54
Princess Kate is suffering from cancer and is fighting it with preventive chemotherapy. How does the therapy work and how does it work?
Princess Kate has received a cancer diagnosis. Prince William’s wife had abdominal surgery in mid-January. At that time it was assumed that it was not cancer, said Kate in an emotional video message. “The operation was successful.” However, later tests showed that cancer was present.
It is not known what type of tumor this is. As Kate further announced, she was now undergoing treatment and her medical team had advised her to undergo preventive chemotherapy. How such treatment works and what side effects are common.
Chemotherapy with cancer drugs
Chemotherapy – chemo for short – is one of the main pillars of cancer therapy alongside radiation therapy and surgery. It can be used at different times during tumor treatment.
Info: How does cancer develop?
Cancer occurs when normal body cells change and multiply uncontrollably. In the case of malignant tumors, this abnormal cell division destroys the surrounding tissue and there is a risk that tumors (metastases) will form in more distant parts of the body.
A distinction can be made between different types of chemo: On the one hand, preventive (adjuvant) therapy with the aim of preventing a recurrence of the disease or the development of tumors (metastases) after an operation. “Adjuvant” stands for complementary or supportive treatment measures in cancer therapy. For example, the tumor cells that could not be removed during the operation are additionally attacked. For example, adjuvant chemotherapy is often used for colon cancer.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is given before an operation and thus prepares you for further treatment. They can shrink the tumor and thus either make the operation easier or make it possible at all. If the cancer is advanced, palliative chemotherapy can be administered. Your goal is complete tumor regression and associated longer survival with a good quality of life for the patient.
Which chemotherapy is used depends on the respective tumor and the stage of the cancer.
How chemotherapy works
Patients receive certain medications, so-called cytostatics, which prevent tumor cells from dividing and multiplying. These are usually administered intravenously. This means: You receive an infusion solution through a vein in which the active ingredient is dissolved. Some cytostatics are also available as tablets.
In most cases, the active ingredients are distributed throughout the body via the bloodstream; In medicine this is called “systemic therapy”. In this way, cancer cells that are no longer located directly at the site of origin of the tumor can also be reached. Such cells would go undetected during targeted radiation or surgery and would therefore remain untreated.
How long does chemo last?
A single treatment session typically lasts between 30 minutes and several hours. Many chemotherapy treatments now take place on an outpatient basis, meaning that patients do not have to stay in a hospital overnight for treatment. Instead, they receive the infusion in a special room in the clinic or practice. The total duration of chemotherapy depends on the number of cycles required. In cancer medicine, “cycle” means something like “therapy unit”. Chemo usually lasts several months.
However, cytostatics also work against healthy cells: particularly fast-growing tissues such as skin, hair, mucous membranes and the blood-forming cells in the bone marrow are affected. This explains the sometimes severe side effects, including:
- susceptibility to infections and fever,
- hair loss,
- rashes and redness,
- inflammation of the mucous membranes,
- nausea and vomiting,
- Tiredness and exhaustion (fatigue) and
- Fertility restrictions.
How severe the side effects of chemotherapy are varies. Some people tolerate cytostatics better than others. Most side effects can now be easily treated and often disappear once treatment ends.
Whether chemotherapy is successful – that is, whether tumor cells are no longer detectable after treatment – depends on many factors. General statements cannot be made reliably.