Kate Middleton has cancer.

The Princess of Wales, 42, put rumors of her whereabouts and her condition to rest in a video on Friday. Kate has not been seen in public since Christmas.

“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” Kate said in her video.

“The surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer had been present. My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”

Her description of her treatment is unclear, even to experts.

“‘Preventative’ chemotherapy is not a medical term,” Misagh Karimi, MD, a medical oncologist at City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Medical Center in Irvine, California, told Verywell. “Chemotherapy can be given before or after another form of treatment.”

By preventative chemo, Kate might meanadjuvant chemotherapy, which Karimi said can be administered after surgery.

“The goal is to target and destroy cancer cells that the primary treatment didn’t destroy. This reduces the chance that the cancer will come back,” he said.

Colon cancer, breast cancer, and lung cancer are often treated with adjuvant therapy.

Even if Kate’s January surgery removed any tumors later found to be cancerous, chemotherapy may have been indicated to keep her cancer-free.

“Despite undergoing a successful procedure like surgery to remove a cancer, preventative treatments or adjuvant therapies may be recommended to reduce the risk of the cancer returning and increase the likelihood of cure,” Richard D. Carvajal, MD, deputy physician-in-chief and director of medical oncology at the Northwell Health Cancer Institute, told Verywell. “These treatments can include chemotherapy, immune treatments, hormone therapy, and others.”

There are also a handful of “chemoprevention” medications prescribed specifically to reduce a high-risk individual’s chances of developing cancer or experiencing cancer recurrence, though Kate doesn’t fit the intended age or sex for many of them.A few cancers can potentially be prevented this way, such as:

Is There Medication to Prevent Breast Cancer?

Kate’s diagnosis coincides with analarming increase in cancer rates in young adults. Gastrointestinal cancers, specifically, are rising the fastest in adults under 50, while breast, thyroid, and colorectal cancers are the most frequently diagnosed.

In its2024 report, the American Cancer Society flagged colorectal cancer as an especially notable cancer in the under-50 crowd, in part because it’s responsible for more deaths than ever before. While the reason why it’s increasing in younger people is unclear, researchers believe a combination of lifestyle factors, such as eating processed foods, not getting quality sleep, and not exercising enough, may play a role.

Is Diet to Blame for Rising Cancer Rates Among Younger People?

What’s Next for Kate Middleton?

Kate indicated she’s in the early stages of her chemotherapy treatment because her recovery from surgery delayed it. While we don’t know exactly when she began chemo, she’s likely between a month or two in.

“The time between surgery and starting treatment depends on many factors, including the kind of cancer and how well the patient recovers from the surgery,” Karimi said. “In general, it is recommended that chemotherapy begins within 30 to 90 days after surgery. For some cancers, chemotherapy after surgery is given for a total of three to six months, depending on the drugs used and stage of cancer.”

Kate requested “some time, space, and privacy” as she completes her treatment—something she has not been granted over the last few weeks. She alluded to one reason for her silence:

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.West H, Jin JO.Adjuvant therapy.JAMA Oncol. 2015;1(5):698. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.2095Cleveland Clinic.Adjuvant therapy.American Cancer Society.What happens during genetic testing for cancer risk?.Kotsopoulos J, Gronwald J, Huzarski T, et al.Tamoxifen and the risk of breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023;201(2):257-264. doi:10.1007/s10549-023-06991-3Maniewska J, Jeżewska D.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in colorectal cancer chemoprevention.Cancers. 2021;13(4):594. doi:10.3390/cancers13040594National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ)—patient version.Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open.2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.West H, Jin JO.Adjuvant therapy.JAMA Oncol. 2015;1(5):698. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.2095Cleveland Clinic.Adjuvant therapy.American Cancer Society.What happens during genetic testing for cancer risk?.Kotsopoulos J, Gronwald J, Huzarski T, et al.Tamoxifen and the risk of breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023;201(2):257-264. doi:10.1007/s10549-023-06991-3Maniewska J, Jeżewska D.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in colorectal cancer chemoprevention.Cancers. 2021;13(4):594. doi:10.3390/cancers13040594National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ)—patient version.Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open.2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

West H, Jin JO.Adjuvant therapy.JAMA Oncol. 2015;1(5):698. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.2095Cleveland Clinic.Adjuvant therapy.American Cancer Society.What happens during genetic testing for cancer risk?.Kotsopoulos J, Gronwald J, Huzarski T, et al.Tamoxifen and the risk of breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023;201(2):257-264. doi:10.1007/s10549-023-06991-3Maniewska J, Jeżewska D.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in colorectal cancer chemoprevention.Cancers. 2021;13(4):594. doi:10.3390/cancers13040594National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ)—patient version.Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open.2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171

West H, Jin JO.Adjuvant therapy.JAMA Oncol. 2015;1(5):698. doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2015.2095

Cleveland Clinic.Adjuvant therapy.

American Cancer Society.What happens during genetic testing for cancer risk?.

Kotsopoulos J, Gronwald J, Huzarski T, et al.Tamoxifen and the risk of breast cancer in women with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation.Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2023;201(2):257-264. doi:10.1007/s10549-023-06991-3

Maniewska J, Jeżewska D.Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in colorectal cancer chemoprevention.Cancers. 2021;13(4):594. doi:10.3390/cancers13040594

National Cancer Institute.Prostate cancer prevention (PDQ)—patient version.

Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open.2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171

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