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Princess Kate revealed she is undergoing treatment for a cancer diagnosis. What is preventative chemotherapy?
Catherine, the Princess of Wales, announced Friday that doctors discovered cancer in tests conducted after she underwent major abdominal surgery in January. The 42-year-old princess is now undergoing a course of preventative chemotherapy as advised by her medical team, she said in a video. Here is what that may involve.
What is preventative chemotherapy?
Preventative chemotherapy, which is usually referred to as “adjuvant chemotherapy,” is an early treatment that is used to reduce the chance of cancer returning, even if all visible cancer was removed in a surgery, according to the Mayo Clinic.
When cancer is removed from the body, there is always a chance undetectable microscopic bits of cancer remain and could grow. This treatment is meant to wipe out those tiny cells, CBS News chief medical correspondent Dr. Jonathan LaPook said.
“The idea is, well maybe there is some tiny microscopic cells somewhere, and we don’t want to give them a chance to grow up,” LaPook explained. “We want to nail them right now when they’re not yet clumped together and growing into big masses.”
How is the treatment given?
There are many types of adjuvant therapies including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and more. The princess is receiving adjuvant chemotherapy, the most common form of cancer treatment, which is typically three months long, LaPook explained.
The treatment can take various forms depending on the type of cancer, including pills, an IV, creams, injections and more, the Mayo Clinic says. In the most common scenario, chemotherapy is given as an infusion into a vein, usually by inserting a tube with a needle into a vein in the arm.
What are the possible side effects?
While this type of treatment is an attempt to prevent cancer from growing and spreading, it is still an intensive process, and can have multiple potential side effects that may include fatigue, and an increased risk of contracting infections, LaPook said.
According to the Mayo Clinic, other possible side effects include nausea, hair loss, mouth sores, loss of appetite, easy bruising and bleeding. The clinic says many of these can be prevented or addressed with treatments.
However, there are also some potential long-term side effects that do not appear until months or years after chemotherapy, such as damage to lung tissue, heart problems, infertility and risk of second cancer, the clinic outlines.
Does it work?
The success of preventative chemotherapy is really dependent on the type of cancer, how aggressive it may be and what stage the recipient is in, the Mayo Clinic says.
LaPook spoke with a cancer expert at NYU Langone Health, who said the process can be difficult, but that “people tend to have a 100% recovery afterwards in terms of getting their strength back and getting back to normal function.”
He added that the fact that this seems to have been caught early is potentially a good sign for the princess.
“Even though we’re shocked by it and she was shocked by it, in the big picture, it’s actually relatively encouraging that it was found so early,” La Pook said.
NEW YORK — Former New York Gov. David Paterson and his stepson were attacked in New York City on Friday night, authorities said.
The incident occurred just before 9 p.m. on Second Avenue near East 96th Street on the Upper East Side, according to the New York City Police Department.
Police said officers were sent to the scene after an assault was reported. When officers arrived, police say they found a 20-year-old man suffering from facial injuries and a 70-year-old man who had head pain. Both victims were taken to a local hospital in stable condition.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the former governor said the two were attacked while “taking a walk around the block near their home by some individuals that had a previous interaction with his stepson.”
The spokesperson said that they were injured “but were able to fight off their attackers.”
Both were taken to Cornell Hospital “as a precaution,” he added.
Police said no arrests have been made and the investigation is ongoing.
The 70-year-old Paterson, a Democrat, served as governor from 2008 to 2010, stepping into the post after the resignation of Eliot Spitzer following his prostitution scandal. He made history at the time as the state’s first-ever Black and legally blind governor.
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A 17-year-old boy was critically injured and a person is in custody after a gunman opened fire on a SEPTA bus in North Philadelphia Friday evening, police said.
At around 6:15 p.m., Philadelphia police were notified about a shooting on a SEPTA bus traveling on Allegheny Avenue near 3rd and 4th streets in North Philadelphia, Inspector D F Pace told CBS News Philadelphia.
There were an estimated 30 people on the bus at the time of the shooting, Pace said, but only the 17-year-old boy was believed to have been shot. Investigators said they believe it was a targeted attack on the teenager and that he was shot in the back of the bus at close range.
According to Pace, the SEPTA bus driver alerted a control center about the shooting, which then relayed the message to Philadelphia police, who responded to the scene shortly.
Officers arrived at the scene and found at least one spent shell casing and blood on the bus, but no shooting victim, Pace said. Investigators later discovered the 17-year-old had been taken to Temple University Hospital where he is said to be in critical condition, according to police.
CBS Philadelphia
Through their preliminary investigation, police learned those involved in the SEPTA shooting may have fled in a silver-colored Kia.
Authorities then found a car matching the description of the Kia speeding in the area and a pursuit began, Pace said. Police got help from a PPD helicopter as they followed the Kia, which ended up crashing at 5th and Greenwood streets in East Mount Airy. Pace said the Kia crashed into a parked car.
The driver of the crashed car ran away but police were still able to take them into custody, Pace said.
Investigators believe there was a second person involved in the shooting who ran from the car before it crashed. Police said they believe this person escaped near Allegheny Avenue and 4th Street, leaving a coat behind.
According to Pace, police also found a gun and a group of spent shell casings believed to be involved in the shooting in the same area.
“It’s very possible that there may have been a shooting inside the bus and also shots fired from outside of the bus toward the bus,” Pace said, “We’re still trying to piece all that together at this time.”
This is an active investigation and police are reviewing surveillance footage from the SEPTA bus.