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How Normal Can Life Be During Private Cancer Treatment?
A cancer diagnosis can be one of the most shocking and difficult moments in anyone’s life, with an inevitable flood of questions sure to follow. The most obvious will be about the odds of survival and recovery, but there will also be many about treatment and the extent to which any kind of normal life will be possible in the meantime.
These responses are all completely understandable. Cancers are very varied, from types that, if caught early, can nearly always be treated successfully (like skin cancer), through to brain cancer, which by nature is far harder to treat, although tools like gamma knives have produced some remarkable results.
What kind of treatment you need will depend on a variety of factors, from the type it is, through to how advanced it is, plus your own age and general health, which may determine how well you could withstand more gruelling treatments.
Among the treatments could be chemotherapy, using various drugs aimed at killing cancer cells, radiotherapy, which uses radiation against them, or surgery, when cancerous tissues such as tumours are cut out and removed.
Each brings their own side-effects. Chemotherapy can cause hair loss, stomach trouble and nausea, a weakened immune system due to the loss of white blood cells, and sexual problems (including infertility). Radiotherapy can produce similar effects, while surgery can immobilise a patient for a time.
Knowledge of his exact condition is constrained by medical confidentiality - in particular, the type of cancer is not known, although it is not of the prostate - but some things are apparent.
Firstly, some cancer treatments can be particularly debilitating in terms of a loss of energy, which evidently was not the case as the king visited a cancer treatment centre in London. Moreover, there was no obvious hair loss, which suggests any chemotherapy or radiotherapy may have been mild or used sparingly.
The exact nature of his treatment is, of course, a private matter, but the fact that a 75-year-old patient can manage to do as much as he did shows that having cancer treatment will not always lay you low, even though there are times when it might.
Indeed, even though it looks as though the King has made good progress so far, there are question marks about whether he will be able to ride a horse and lead the Trooping the Colour parade on June 15th, his 76th birthday.
Of course, a monarch will have a lifestyle very different to most at any time, but especially in old age. Most 75-year-olds will be long retired and living a very different life. What that means is that for most cancer sufferers in later life, there may not be as much disruption to the norm as for some.
However, while very few people are still working at that age, most people will enjoy their social contact and spending time with others. If treatment brings reduced immunity because white blood cells have been diminished by radiotherapy or chemotherapy, this will mitigate against being in crowded places, which means not attending concerts or football matches.
In effect, this situation may be a little like shielding during the COVID-19 pandemic for those who are immunocompromised (indeed, this group has been urged by the government to get a spring booster jab). There may be times when you will have to do this for your wider health, as a weak immune system means it is not just Covid you will have to look out for.
Very few people can be treated for cancer without some significant disruption to normal life. But while the priority must always be doing what is needed to achieve the best medical outcome, our oncologists will work with every patient to make this as manageable as possible.
These responses are all completely understandable. Cancers are very varied, from types that, if caught early, can nearly always be treated successfully (like skin cancer), through to brain cancer, which by nature is far harder to treat, although tools like gamma knives have produced some remarkable results.
What kind of treatment you need will depend on a variety of factors, from the type it is, through to how advanced it is, plus your own age and general health, which may determine how well you could withstand more gruelling treatments.
Among the treatments could be chemotherapy, using various drugs aimed at killing cancer cells, radiotherapy, which uses radiation against them, or surgery, when cancerous tissues such as tumours are cut out and removed.
Each brings their own side-effects. Chemotherapy can cause hair loss, stomach trouble and nausea, a weakened immune system due to the loss of white blood cells, and sexual problems (including infertility). Radiotherapy can produce similar effects, while surgery can immobilise a patient for a time.
A Royal Example
One man who has been getting private cancer treatment recently is King Charles, about whose health, robustness and ability to carry out a ‘normal’ life (which for him is, of course, very different from anyone else) much attention has been focused. His first public appearance after commencing treatment may offer some positive clues.Knowledge of his exact condition is constrained by medical confidentiality - in particular, the type of cancer is not known, although it is not of the prostate - but some things are apparent.
Firstly, some cancer treatments can be particularly debilitating in terms of a loss of energy, which evidently was not the case as the king visited a cancer treatment centre in London. Moreover, there was no obvious hair loss, which suggests any chemotherapy or radiotherapy may have been mild or used sparingly.
The exact nature of his treatment is, of course, a private matter, but the fact that a 75-year-old patient can manage to do as much as he did shows that having cancer treatment will not always lay you low, even though there are times when it might.
Indeed, even though it looks as though the King has made good progress so far, there are question marks about whether he will be able to ride a horse and lead the Trooping the Colour parade on June 15th, his 76th birthday.
The Impact of Weakened Immunity
He also has to limit the number and pace of his engagements as he eases back into royal duties, not least as there is a need to avoid infection - something that is crucial when undergoing treatment like chemo or radiotherapy with its propensity to diminish white blood cell counts.Of course, a monarch will have a lifestyle very different to most at any time, but especially in old age. Most 75-year-olds will be long retired and living a very different life. What that means is that for most cancer sufferers in later life, there may not be as much disruption to the norm as for some.
However, while very few people are still working at that age, most people will enjoy their social contact and spending time with others. If treatment brings reduced immunity because white blood cells have been diminished by radiotherapy or chemotherapy, this will mitigate against being in crowded places, which means not attending concerts or football matches.
In effect, this situation may be a little like shielding during the COVID-19 pandemic for those who are immunocompromised (indeed, this group has been urged by the government to get a spring booster jab). There may be times when you will have to do this for your wider health, as a weak immune system means it is not just Covid you will have to look out for.
Sex And Fertility Issues
Other impacts can also be dependent on age. For example, sexual function and in particular fertility issues will be of much greater concern for those who are younger. While older people still have sex lives, any treatment that might impact fertility could be significant, especially for those who do not have children but want to start or increase a family.Very few people can be treated for cancer without some significant disruption to normal life. But while the priority must always be doing what is needed to achieve the best medical outcome, our oncologists will work with every patient to make this as manageable as possible.
