The king was Charles III diagnosed with cancer After a procedure for an enlarged prostate, Buckingham Palace said Monday, but did not say what type of cancer it was or how serious it was.
“A separate issue of concern was noted during the King’s recent hospital procedure for a benign prostate enlargement. Subsequent diagnostic tests revealed a form of cancer,” the palace said in a statement.
It is not clear what form of cancer was found, but the palace said that Charles did not have prostate cancer.
An enlarged prostate is not associated with cancer and is relatively common among older men: Around 80% of men over the age of 70 According to Yale Medicine, there is. Charles turned 75 in November.
Sometimes the condition can cause symptoms such as difficulty urinating, loss of bladder control, or waking up repeatedly during the night to urinate. In such cases, doctors will often recommend a transurethral resection, a procedure to remove extra prostate tissue.
“They go in and break some tissue to make it easier to pee, because the problem with the prostate is that it sits at the bottom of the bladder and can block urine,” he said. Prostate Cancer Foundation.
Part of a transurethral resection involves inserting a scope—a tube with a camera at the end—through the urethra. That way, doctors can see the prostate and know where to remove the tissue.
Professor of urology and oncology at Johns Hopkins Medical School. The scope can detect cancer in nearby areas, such as the bladder or urethra, Christian Pavlovic said.
“Sometimes you’ll have a bladder tumor or something that’s not symptomatic, and you’ll see it when you go in there,” he said.
Dr. Fox Chase Cancer Center professor of urological oncology. Justin Friedlander says the scope can also detect bloody urine, which “could be bleeding from the kidneys.” It could be a sign of kidney cancer or cancer in the ureter, he said — the tube that carries urine from the kidney to the bladder.
In other cases, doctors may find cancerous tissue from other parts of the body when analyzing prostate tissue removed during surgery.
“The prostate can actually be affected by cancers that are not of prosthetic origin, such as lymphoma — one of these blood tumors — or cancer of the urothelium, which is the lining of the urethra and bladder,” Pavlovic said.
This indicates that the cancer has spread from other organs and is potentially more advanced, Friedlander said.
Head of the genitourinary oncology program at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida, Dr. Julio Pow-Sang said it is generally rare to find cancerous tissue during a procedure for prostate enlargement.
He said, “90 or 95% of the time it’s benign, but you might be in for a surprise.”
Buckingham Palace did not reveal on Monday what procedure Charles underwent for the enlarged prostate, but previously described it as “corrective”.
Sometimes, instead of performing a transurethral resection, doctors destroy the excess prostate tissue with a laser or high heat – but these procedures are less common.
According to Buckingham Palace, Charles arrived in London on Monday to begin regular outpatient cancer treatment.
“Her Majesty is grateful to her medical team for their expert care and prompt intervention, is completely positive about her treatment and looks forward to returning to full government duty as soon as possible,” the palace said.