In this latest update on King Charles’ news, his health and any potential health problems in 2024 continue to garner attention.
King Charles Health:
King Charles to Undergo Hospital Treatment for Enlarged Prostate
Buckingham Palace has confirmed that King Charles will receive treatment for an enlarged prostate. The palace revealed that the monarch’s condition is non-cancerous, and he is scheduled to undergo a corrective procedure next week. As a result, King Charles’ public commitments will be temporarily postponed for his recovery period.
King Charles’ health: The King’s decision to share his diagnosis aims to encourage other men experiencing similar symptoms to seek medical evaluation in alignment with public health recommendations. Enlarged prostate, a gland situated just below the bladder, affects approximately one in three men aged 50 and older.
Royal authorities disclosed on Wednesday that Princess Kate has undergone a scheduled abdominal surgery, with plans for her to remain at the private London Clinic for an expected 10 to 14 days. Her return to public duties is scheduled for April. While the statement from Kensington Palace did not offer further specifics, it did confirm her condition is non-cancerous. Despite her excellent health and active lifestyle, Kate had experienced previous hospitalization during early pregnancy due to severe morning sickness.
King Charles News:
In a show of support, Prince William, the heir to the throne, has adjusted his official duties to attend to his wife and look after their three children. Meanwhile, Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales, visited Kate to offer his support during her hospitalization. In light of these developments, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles III is set to undergo a ‘corrective procedure’ for an enlarged prostate in the upcoming week. The palace emphasized that the king’s condition is non-malignant. Queen Camilla reassured the public, affirming that Charles is in good health and eagerly anticipates resuming his royal duties.
King Charles Health Problems 2024:
The King’s choice to disclose his diagnosis is intended to inspire other men with similar symptoms to undergo medical assessments in accordance with public health guidelines.
In an exclusive interview, Paul Sayer from Prost 8 sheds light on the situation.
Just to provide a bit of information, the pattern of men coming forward for checking for both prostate issues generally and prostate cancer fluctuates quite a bit in response to news such as this. The so-called ‘Turnbull/Fry effect,’ being a classic example a couple of years back when both declared they had experienced prostate cancer and went public with that. The numbers increased immediately and then trailed off again. This news of the King health problems will lead to another bout of activity, but momentum needs to be maintained via regular awareness campaigns (probably DoH or government-led due to the costs involved).
The messaging needs to also clarify that diagnostic and treatment options are improving all the time, as many men are put off by inaccurate information or hearsay on how invasive testing and treatments can be. The format until recently was to move from initial testing to a biopsy, which in itself can be quite debilitating. However, advances in scanning techniques using new high-resolution mpMRI equipment mean that many cases can be diagnosed and/or cleared via this method, with only those needing potential treatment being moved on to biopsy.
Another important factor to consider in messaging is that with prostate cancer and general prostate issues (such as enlargement), the treatments are improving, and a whole range of minimally invasive treatments are now available, such as HIFU and cryotherapy for prostate cancer rather than 5 weeks of radiotherapy or surgery. I myself had HIFU (a simple day-stay procedure that uses ultrasound to destroy just the cancerous cells in the prostate, leaving everything else intact and functional) back in 2018, which led to the formation of the Prost8 charity (initially set up by myself, Prof Hashim Ahmed of Imperial College Hospital London, and the late Sir David Amess MP). These treatments mean that men with a low to medium grade cancer need not fear the lifestyle-damaging side effects of the more traditional but more aggressive treatments. We are working to expand access to these daily (see prost8.org.uk).
The same minimally invasive options to treat enlarged prostates will be available to the King, I am sure (these include treatments called Rezum and aquablation).
Prost8 UK was formed in 2019 to address the fact that far too many men are being overtreated for medium-grade prostate cancer when world-leading minimally invasive treatments are available in the NHS right now, says the charity’s founder Paul Sayer, who is “one of the very lucky men to have experienced the future of prostate cancer treatment.
“I chose to refuse the traditional treatment options offered and instead found a dedicated team working at the cutting edge of prostate cancer care in the NHS at Imperial College Hospital, London. They treated my cancer with one of the remarkable new minimally invasive focal treatment options.
In my case, this was HIFU (high-intensity focal ultrasound), which meant I could lead a normal lifestyle after treatment – for which I will be eternally grateful,” Paul says.
Paul formed the Prost8 UK charity after his experience to ensure that men with a low to medium grade prostate cancer diagnosis (or even those with just concerns) have access to the very best treatment options and resources and to help anyone affected to come through the prostate cancer experience with better and far more acceptable lifestyle outcomes than many currently face.
As Prostate Cancer is more often slow-developing, there may be little or no obvious signs in the early stages. Because of this, the condition can be quite advanced by the time it is diagnosed.
King Charles Health:
The first symptoms are usually not experienced until the prostate has enlarged enough to physically apply pressure to the urethra (the tube that carries urine from the bladder). When the prostate does impact the urethra, you may notice things like:
Peeing more frequently
Difficulty in peeing (straining or hard to start the flow)
A feeling that your bladder has not fully emptied
Urgent need to urinate (rushing to the toilet)
Weak flow or taking a long time to pee
Signs of blood in the urine or semen
If you experience any of these symptoms, they should not be ignored. BUT equally, it does not mean you have prostate cancer. They can be a sign of other conditions such as prostatitis (enlargement of the prostate, frequently associated with aging). Always check with your doctor.
For more information on Prostat 8, head to https://www.prost8.org.uk.
With thanks to Shutterstock Images.
