King Charles is having cancer treatment. What can he, and others with cancer, expect?

By Sathana Dushyanthen, The University of Melbourne

King Charles’ cancer diagnosis, which was identified recently during treatment for an enlarged prostate, continues to make news globally.

The type of cancer has not been revealed, but it has been confirmed it is not prostate cancer.

So what can King Charles and the millions of others who are newly diagnosed with cancer each year expect? And how has cancer treatment changed to improve survival rates?

What actually is cancer?

The body constantly makes new cells to help us grow, replace worn-out tissue and heal injuries. Normally, cells multiply and die in a regulated way, so each new cell replaces a cell that is lost. Sometimes, however, cellular processes become dysregulated and cells keep multiplying. These abnormal cells may turn into cancer.

In solid cancers, such as breast or prostate, the abnormal cells form a mass (tumour). In blood cancers, such as leukaemia, the abnormal cells build up in the blood.

Cancerous tumours may spread. They may invade nearby tissue, destroying normal cells. The cancer cells can break away and travel through the bloodstream or lymph vessels to other parts of the body.

The cancer that first develops is the primary cancer. It is considered localised cancer as it has not spread to other parts of the body. If the primary cancer cells grow and form another tumour at a new site, it is called a secondary cancer or metastasis.

Millions of new cases each year

Cancer is becoming more common as the population ages. And King Charles’ diagnosis is one of roughly 19.3 million new cases of cancer diagnosed worldwide each year.

We do not know which cancer King Charles has. However, worldwide, the most common are lung, colorectal (bowel), stomach, breast, pancreatic, oesophageal, prostate and liver cancers.

The most common cancers can vary between countries, due to a number of factors such as genetics, lifestyle and environment. In Australia, for example, the most common cancers are prostate, breast, skin melanoma, colorectal cancer and lung cancer.

Read Full Story https://theconversation.com/king-charles-is-having-cancer-treatment-what-can-he-and-others-with-cancer-expect-222876