Royal Chemo

One of the great curiosities of the Cancer diagnosis given King Charles and Princess Catherine is how seemingly mild the consequences of harsh Chemo treatment has been on both of them. I wonder why this is so?

Just consider Chemotherapy;

Some types of chemotherapy may cause permanent damage to the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, or reproductive system. And some people have trouble with thinking, concentrating, and memory for months or years after treatment. Cancer survivors also have a higher risk of second cancers later in life.

Further;

Hair loss due to chemotherapeutic agents is one of the most common cutaneous adverse effects and is rated as one of the most distressing side effects of cancer therapy. The estimated incidence of chemotherapy-induced hair loss is 65%.

However in the most recent video of King Charles, recorded two weeks ago, he looks remarkably healthy and has zero hair loss. In fact it has been reported that he frustrated at the length of time the Chemo is taking and he appears to think he should be back to normal routine.

The King has been undergoing Chemo for around eight weeks but there is no obvious visible hair loss. You might say that he is fortunate to be in the 35% of those who don’t suffer distressing hair loss. As I have said before, I wish him a full recovery from whatever cancer he is supposed to have had.

But then we have to consider Princess Catherine. If you look at this still image from her video, whilst she does look strained and unwell, her hair seems unaffected. This assumes that the video itself is 100% credible, which some doubt. She states during the video she is in the early stages of Chemo. What’s the chances that both she and Charles seem unaffected by Chemo - which is a pretty harsh treatment?

According to the blessed NHS,

“Chemotherapy may be given into a vein (intravenous chemotherapy) – this is usually done in hospital and involves medicine being given through a tube in a vein in your hand, arm or chest

Chemotherapy tablets may be given (oral chemotherapy) – this usually involves taking a course of medicine at home, with regular check-ups in hospital

You may be treated with one type of chemotherapy medicine or a combination of different types. You'll usually have several treatment sessions, which will typically be spread over the course of a few months.

It’s possible that King Charles has reached the end of the treatment and has responded well. It is still early days for Princess Catherine. Time will tell.