Buckingham Palace officials revealed that King Charles III has been diagnosed with cancer.
Last month, the king, 75, underwent treatment for a benign prostate condition. During this recent procedure, a “separate issue of concern was noted,” Palace officials said in a Feb. 5, 2024, statement.
Further diagnostic tests revealed that Charles has “a form of cancer.” Officials have not revealed other details about the specific type of cancer, but they have shared that it’s not prostate cancer.
“His Majesty has today commenced a schedule of regular treatments, during which time he has been advised by doctors to postpone public-facing duties,” the statement reads. “Throughout this period, His Majesty will continue to undertake State business and official paperwork as usual.”
King Charles’ prostate treatment
Back on Jan. 17, 2024, the Palace announced that Charles would be undergoing “a corrective procedure” to treat a benign enlarged prostate. The treatment was to be followed by a “short period of recuperation.”
He entered London Clinic private hospital and received the procedure there on Jan. 26. He was subsequently seen leaving the hospital on Jan. 29 with his wife, Queen Camilla, as TODAY.com reported previously.
A benign enlarged prostate is a common condition that often comes with aging, Dr. Otis Brawley, professor of oncology and associate director of outreach and engagement at the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, tells TODAY.com.
Also called benign prostatic hyperplasia, the condition “exists in almost every man over the age of 50,” Brawley explains, and it can put uncomfortable pressure on the bladder, blocking the flow of urine.
It typically involves an area known as the zone of transition, which is “the part that’s around the urethra where the urine comes out,” Dr. Justin R. Gregg, urologic oncologist and assistant professor of urology and health disparities research at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, tells TODAY.com.
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