Latest news with #RoyalMarsden
Daily Mail
8 hours ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Kate Middleton opens up about her 'really difficult' cancer recovery as she meets with hospital patients and says 'you're not able to function normally'
The Princess of Wales has opened up about her cancer recovery as she made a poignant hospital visit today - marking her first public appearance since her Royal Ascot absence last month. Kate, 43, looked stunning in a smart Blazé Milano beige blazer with pinstripes, retailing at around £1,000, and matching shirt as she visited the RHS's Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital today. The royal added tailored brown trousers and a black belt - while giving a more casual effect with rolled up sleeves and white trainers - and adding her engagement ring. Her outing today is one close to her heart following her cancer journey and emphasises the important role nature plays in bringing us joy and supporting our mental, physical and spiritual wellbeing. During her visit, Kate visited the hospital's cancer wellbeing centre, where she met with patients and staff and discussed the important role gardens play in recovery. There, she gave a rare insight into her cancer recovery - of which elements were 'really difficult'. The Princess revealed 'you're not able to function normally at home as you once used to' and said it's 'really valuable' to have such a supportive space around. Her visit coincides with the donation of 50 'Catherine's Rose' plants, named for The Princess by the RHS with funds from sales going to the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, to Colchester Hospital. Kate even had the opportunity to plant the 'Catherine Rose' herself, alongside staff who volunteer in the garden. The coral-pink floribunda has a rich perfume with hints of Turkish Delight and mango, the RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) said in its announcement in May. Now, 500 'Catherine's Rose' plants will be donated to wellbeing and community gardens across the UK this summer, including Maggie's gardens for people affected by cancer, East Anglia's Children's Hospices and Horatio's Gardens for those living with spinal injuries. The Princess also met with award-winning garden designer Adam Frost, who led the design of the garden. Adam told the mother-of-three how he worked with NHS staff through the design and consultation process to ensure it address the needs of staff and patients. The Wellbeing Garden at Colchester Hospital, which opened in July 2024, is a relaxing and restorative space for NHS staff, patients and visitors. The garden is a vital hub for the community, offering activities for those working in or visiting the hospital and was created in partnership with the RHS, Colchester and Ipswich Hospitals Charity and NHS Charities Together, the latter of which is a joint patronage of The Prince and Princess of Wales. The Wellbeing Garden at Colchester, and the transformative impact it has on patients and NHS workers, forms part of the research for the RHS' Blueprint for Wellbeing Gardens, which will launch in Spring next year. Kate herself has been making a slow and measured return to duties after revealing she is in remission from cancer. This has included a visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital back in January, where she underwent her treatment, as well as important events in the royal calendar, such as Trooping The Colour and the Order Of The Garter ceremony. Her visit today is the first time she's been seen in public since pulling out of Royal Ascot unexpectedly last month. Kate had been expected to attend the Berkshire racing festival with her husband Prince William - and was even announced in the official carriage procession - before Kensington Palace confirmed she would not be attending after all. MailOnline understood at the time that the Princess was 'disappointed' not to be in attendance 'but she has to find the right balance as she fully returns to public facing engagements'. Racegoers had been hoping to see the Princess after the Prince of Wales was named as one of the figures awarding race prizes during the second day of the meet. Ascot officials had confirmed at 12pm that the Princess was due to be in the second carriage in the royal procession with William, in a published carriage list. But less than half an hour later, Kensington Palace confirmed just before 12.30pm that Kate would not be attending - and a revised carriage list was published by Ascot. Royal aides insisted the original list had issued in 'error', according to the Daily Mail's Rebecca English. 'On some levels I actually think this is a good reminder that she was really seriously ill last year and underwent a significant period of chemo. As anyone who has been through that experience will tell you, you can feel very unwell for a long time afterwards. It can take years [to recover],' one source said. 'She wants to find the right balance and work with a greater degree of flexibility than before. 'This is a woman who plays a very important role in the monarchy [as Princess of Wales and future Queen], but in order for her to do it, both now and in the future, she needs to get this right,' they said. The Princess returned to work last Wednesday as she privately received Melinda Gates - the former wife of Microsoft Founder Bill - at Windsor Castle, marking her return to official duties. But today marks her first interacting with the public since her surprise absence at the racing festival. As her visit today emphasises, Kate has shared how she turned to nature in the midst of her cancer battle for solace and support. In May, she reaffirmed her commitment to nature as she launched a new video revealing how she embraced the 'healing power of nature' during her cancer treatment. The series began with 'Spring', a three-minute film narrated by Catherine and including footage of her and Prince William on the Isle of Mull earlier this month. The other three short films will be released across the course of the year, with Summer, Autumn and Winter editions in due course. Previously referring to how she sought comfort and strength from being outdoors with her family during her cancer battle last year, Kate said: 'Over the past year, nature has been my sanctuary. 'The natural world's capacity to inspire us, to nurture us and help us heal and grow is boundless and has been understood for generations. 'It is through nature, that we can fully understand the true interconnectedness of all things, the importance of balance and the importance of renewal and resilience. Connecting to nature helps us to experience a deeper sense of ourselves, the world around us, and each other.' She added: 'Spring is a season of rebirth, of hope and new beginnings. From the dark days of winter, the outside world quietly awakens with new life, and there comes a sense of optimism, anticipation, and positive, hopeful change. 'Just as nature revives and renews so too can we. Let us reconnect to nature and celebrate a new dawn within our hearts. 'It is often from the smallest of seeds that the greatest change can happen, and in this ever-growing complex world, we need to hold on to what connects us all. 'Spring is here, so let's make the most of it together.' The Princess of Wales had been receiving chemotherapy for an undisclosed form of cancer since late February last year with the King beginning his cancer care earlier that month following his diagnosis after treatment for an enlarged prostate. Announcing in September her treatment had ended, Kate described in an emotional video message how the previous nine months had been 'incredibly tough for us as a family' and 'doing what I can to stay cancer free is now my focus'. William later said in a separate interview how 2024 had been 'brutal'.
News.com.au
25-06-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
True extent of Kate's cancer battle revealed
On June 15 last year Kate, The Princess of Wales really put the 'trooper' into Trooping the Colour and appeared at the annual celebration of the sovereign's birthday, despite being in the middle of chemotherapy. She wore a suitably formal hat and waved with her signature aplomb. But what no one knew at the time was that underneath her Jenny Packham dress there was a port in her chest. A port is a medical device used to draw blood and give treatments, including intravenous fluids, blood transfusions, or drugs such as chemotherapy and antibiotics. Now, new details have come out about how 'serious' the princess' 2024 health battle was with it being claimed she 'is fortunate' to have survived. Holy hell. Buckle up - the word 'serious' is going to appear in this story a lot. Until now, the severity of Kate's 2024 fight has never been revealed, with details hither too thin to the point of non-existence. Kensington Palace has remained firmly tight-lipped about what sort of cancer she had and it was only in January that the world learnt she had been a patient at Chelsea's Royal Marsden Hospital. (During an emotional visit there in January she talked about the 'secrecy' of her treatment and having to use side doors for 'so many quiet visits'.) Kate at Trooping in 2024 might have looked as we have always seen her - perfectly turned out and doing some Olympic-level smiling but behind the scenes, she was reportedly going 'to hell and back'. On Tuesday the Daily Mail 's royal editor Rebecca English published a shocking report offering details about what the princess was privately enduring. Even before the dreaded 'c' word entered the picture, per English, the mother-of-three was 'seriously unwell' in the 'run-up' to having 'serious' abdominal surgery in January. In March, as Kate herself announced that testing 'after the operation found cancer' and that she was having chemotherapy. And then comes a bit of a blank in the Kate story. It would be six months before she and husband Prince William and their kids filmed a dreamy video meditation on life, love and the healing power of family and a nice old gnarled oak, in which she announced she had finished her treatment. The Mail's new report offers details about those mystery months and the severity of what Kate faced. According to English, when she began treatment last year, she 'was fitted with a semi- permanent 'port' into her chest. 'This small device was inserted under the skin and kept in place until her treatment (delivered via the port through a special needle and a thin tube in vein close to the heart) was over, several weeks later.' It was, the veteran royal editor writes, 'a literal lifeline - which offers no cast-iron guarantee of success, even if you are a royal.' The princess, per English 'is fortunate to even be speaking of recovery' today. The severity of Kate's illness has not been detailed before. This startling new report comes a week after the princess reportedly triggered 'chaos' and 'panic' inside the palace after pulling out of Ascot only half an hour before she was set to arrive at the generally set-down-in-stone event. Royal staffers, The Daily Beast 's Tom Sykes reported, were left 'bewildered and worried' by the dramatic change with rumours briefly swirling around that Kate 'either needed to see a doctor or had been rushed to the hospital.' The Princess of Wales' withdrawing from the event, a source told English on Tuesday, 'is a good reminder that she was really seriously ill last year and underwent a significant period of chemo…It can take years [to recover]'. Similarly a 'well-connected' source has told the Beast's Sykes that the Ascot mini-debacle was 'a wake-up call, not a one-off' and that Kate 'is recalibrating her entire life' after a 'horrific' few years. What that practically means is that Kate is 'expected Kate to dramatically scale back her public appearances for the rest of the year,' per the Beast. Expect the princess to be seen at Wimbledon, starting June 30, and during the French state visit in July, but we could be in for a very Kate-lite year. English reports that while an overseas tour 'cannot entirely be ruled out' it seems unlikely. In November Willliam will be off to Rio de Janeiro for his Earthshot Prize awards but he could well be travelling solo. The princess possibly going is officially still 'TBC', she reports, 'but my gut feeling is probably not.' As English reported earlier this year, the Princess of Wales has 'been to hell and back'. But what has become clear in the wake of the Ascot mess is that there is 'back' and there is 'back'. How long until the princess is ready to return to anything like per-cancer workload is the great unknown. We will next see her courtside at All England Lawn Tennis Club and after that toasting the Macrons but after that, the next Queen is set for a hopefully unbothered Wordsworthian summer stint in Norfolk and Scotland of long walks and lounging about in appropriately elasticised trousers.
BBC News
20-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Ewell hairdressing lecturer wins at National Teaching Awards
A hairdressing lecturer has been hailed for her work supporting cancer and dementia patients as well as homeless Charles, a teacher at Nescot College in Ewell was handed a silver award for Further Education Lecturer of the Year by the Pearson National Teaching Awards. Lisa, who has taught for 13 years, was chosen from thousands of nominees and is in the running for a gold award which will be announced later this year on BBC One's The One said: "You're an untrained counsellor in so many ways in a salon." Lisa has supported her students by setting up partnerships which also help the local community. She created a pop up hair and beauty salon to give children and young people who are going through chemotherapy and their families at London's Royal Marsden Hospital a bit of relaxation and said: "As a hairdresser or beauty therapist you're not prepared for some of those conversations that you are going to have. "Many years ago it was one in six people who had cancer and obviously now it's one in two." Lisa issued a huge thank you to the Royal Marsden for welcoming her students and helping them develop invaluable skills. She said: "It's had a massive impact on their professionalism and confidence."Through Lisa's work, her students have also helped boost homeless people's self esteem with haircuts at nearby shelter. Lisa has taken students to work in local hospitals where they can offer haircuts to dementia patients. Nescot principal and CEO Julie Kapsalis said: "I'm incredibly proud of our work with hospitals and charities. "In these settings, it can feel like much more than a haircut, as it offers those going through tough times a bit of positivity, connection and hope." Reanna Chambers, one of her former students at Nescot added: "She went beyond just delivering lessons - she was a mentor, support system and a constant source of guidance for all of us."
Telegraph
17-06-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
The signs of cancer you should be checking for every three weeks
Assessing your body for lumps, unusual moles or unexplained bruising every three weeks might seem a little over zealous, but that's what we should all be doing to spot cancer at its earliest and most treatable stage – and, crucially, to save lives. According to a new NHS survey of 2,000 people, only 39 per cent of Brits examine our bodies regularly, with many of us far more likely to check our bank balance, the weather forecast and what's coming up on TV during the same timeframe. But complacency can lead to deadly consequences: Dr Richard Lee, a champion for early cancer diagnosis at The Royal Marsden Hospital, says delays in people mentioning concerns to their GP are one of the primary causes for early-stage cancers getting missed. 'Many cancers do present with symptoms,' he says. 'The earlier that a cancer is diagnosed, treatments are easier [to tolerate] and treatment success is more likely.' While the NHS offers national screening programmes for breast, bowel and cervical cancers, and is in the process of expanding lung-cancer screening, such programmes only cover a proportion of cancers, making self-checking vitally important, especially as more cancers are being diagnosed under the age of 50. According to the American Cancer Society, one general feature of many cancers is sudden or unexplained weight loss – for example, losing 5 per cent of your body weight over six to 12 months when you're not intentionally trying to lose weight. 'Cancer can be associated with reduced appetite and weight loss, essentially due to the metabolic effects of the cancer on the body,' says Dr Lee. 'It's partly because there's something there that's growing and it's also a feature of cancer which makes muscles weak while the metabolism is increasing; you've got this inflammation and all these things combined make it hard to keep your weight steady.' Of course, this doesn't always occur, but certain cancers can be picked up through regular self-checking. Here are some of the most notable symptoms to look out for. Testicular cancer Warning signs: Lump or swelling Testicular cancer usually presents through a testicular lump or swelling or sudden pain in the testicles. There could be a perfectly benign cause for lumps and swelling, but if you're experiencing these symptoms, Dr Robert Stevenson, Consultant Clinical Oncologist at The Harborne Hospital, says it's critical to be examined by a doctor quickly. 'A lump can be a cyst at the back of the testicle, or a varicocele, which is a collection of [enlarged] veins,' he says. 'Incidentally, this can also be an early sign of kidney cancer and that would be looked into too.' If caught early, the cure rates for testicular cancer are very high, while patients will also avoid more debilitating treatments such as multiple rounds of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. 'If it's stage one – so, still confined to the testicle – you may just need the testicle removed, maybe a bit of chemotherapy, and that's it,' says Dr Stevenson. What to do? If you feel any sort of lump, swelling or unusual pain in the testicle region, this should prompt a visit to the doctor. An ultrasound scan will be required to diagnose whether it's cause for alarm or benign. Survival rate if caught early: 99 per cent. Leukaemia Warning signs: Unexplained bleeding or bruising In adults, leukaemia can be one of the more aggressive and difficult to treat cancers, but, when detected early, oncologists say that there are far more options, from chemotherapy to newer immunotherapies and stem-cell transplants. With leukaemia being a blood cancer, Dr Premini Mahendra, Consultant Haemato-Oncologist at The Harborne Hospital, says that a major warning sign is unexplained bleeding or bruising on the body. 'Patients also sometimes feel unusually fatigued, they're getting recurrent infections, or they have unexplained shortness of breath,' she says. What to do? Consult your GP. To rule out leukaemia, Dr Mahendra says you will be given a simple blood test. 'There are lots of other possible explanations, but a full blood cell count, which is one of the cheapest tests to do, will indicate if leukaemia could be responsible or not,' she adds. Survival rate if caught early: 67 per cent. Breast cancer Warning sign: Lumps According to the NHS, visible signs of breast cancer typically present as hard, irregular, painless lumps that feel slightly different from the surrounding breast tissue, sometimes accompanied by the formation of dimples or changes in the nipple's appearance. While the disease is most common in women over the age of 50, it can occur in younger women and, as a result, the charity Breast Cancer Ireland has long promoted self-checking as crucial. 'It's important to check yourself regularly so you know what your baseline is, which helps you spot any unusual changes,' says Aisling Hurley, the charity's CEO. What to do? While women aged 50-70 are offered mammograms as part of the NHS screening service, you can get a free mammogram earlier if you detect a lump or a concerning sign. Newer, more effective screening tools are also in the pipeline, with Cancer Research UK-funded researchers developing an enhanced mammogram to detect cancer in women with extra-dense breasts (which can make it more difficult to spot the signs of cancer in the first place). Survival rate if caught early: 95 per cent. Lymphoma Warning sign: Swelling As a cancer that affects the lymphatic system (the complex network of vessels and glands that represent a vital part of the immune system), early signs of lymphoma typically present as painless swellings that form around the body's lymph nodes. 'You can get these swellings which people feel most commonly in the neck, the armpit and the groin,' says Dr Mahendra. 'You can also get swollen glands after a viral infection, but those tend to be tender and painful, while it could be lymphoma if it's painless and it has persisted for more than two weeks.' What to do? There isn't a blood test for lymphoma, but, if concerned, specialists will carry out a biopsy of the swollen lymph gland to come to a definitive diagnosis. Again, the key is to seek medical attention as soon as possible. 'You'd be surprised at how many people sometimes just ignore an unexplained swelling, and only present [themselves] at a much later stage with significant weight loss and enlarged lymph glands, as an emergency patient,' adds Dr Mahendra. Survival rate if caught early: 84-95 per cent. Bladder cancer Warning sign: blood in the urine Blood in urine is known to be a potential sign of prostate cancer (symptoms of which present mainly in late-stage cancer), but it could also indicate the presence of a bladder tumour. According to Dr Stevenson, this is because the vast majority of bladder cancers arise from cells in the lining of the bladder. 'Bleeding, a more frequent need to urinate, pain when urinating and recurrent infections are signs of bladder cancer,' he says. What to do? If bladder cancer can be detected before it has penetrated the bladder muscle layer, it is far easier to treat and send into remission. Doctors will likely recommend a flexible cystoscopy – a test in which a fibre-optic tube is used to directly examine the bladder lining. Survival rate if caught early: 80 per cent. 6. Skin cancer Warning sign: Irregular, unhealing moles Knowing whether a new spot or discolouration on the skin is just a standard mole or something more sinister is a common challenge and, to assist, skin cancer experts commonly refer to the so-called ABCD rule – where A stands for Asymmetry, B for Border Irregularity, C for Colour and D for Diameter. 'Essentially, you're looking for anything that's changing; which doesn't really look as it did previously,' says Dr Lee. 'So, either a new mole, an existing mole which is now bleeding or looking more lumpy than before, or looking more irregular. Or a sore that isn't healing, is very painful or seems to be spreading.' Because skin cancers can sometimes emerge in parts of the body where it isn't so easy to examine, such as the back, shoulders or backs of legs, Dr Lee advises asking for help from a partner or family member in self-checking. What to do? If concerned, consult your GP or a dermatologist. Skin cancers will be diagnosed through a combination of visual inspection, examination using a magnifying tool and, finally, a biopsy.
The Independent
02-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Innovative treatment uses patient's own immune system to fight cancer
An innovative treatment called lifileucel, which uses a patient's own immune system to combat advanced melanoma, has shown promising results in extending the lives of patients, according to researchers. In a trial led by The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust involving 153 patients, almost 20 per cent of those with advanced melanoma survived for five years after receiving lifileucel, with the majority experiencing tumour shrinkage. Experts suggest lifileucel could be a transformative option for patients with advanced melanoma, where the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. The treatment involves isolating and growing T cells from tumours in a lab before infusing them back into the patient to fight cancer, and it has already been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for advanced melanoma treatment. Zoe Phillips, a participant in the TIL therapy trial, experienced complete remission of her tumours six weeks after treatment, highlighting the potential of this therapy for patients with limited options.
