Buckingham Palace revealed on Monday that King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer after undergoing a procedure for an enlarged prostate. While the specific type and severity of the cancer were not disclosed, the palace assured that it is not prostate cancer.
Enlarged prostate, a common condition among older men, affects approximately 80% of men over the age of 70, according to Yale Medicine. Symptoms may include difficulty urinating, loss of bladder control, or nocturia (waking up multiple times at night to urinate). In cases where symptoms become problematic, doctors often recommend a transurethral resection to remove excess prostate tissue, facilitating better urination.
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During a transurethral resection, a scope equipped with a camera is inserted through the urethra to visualize the prostate and guide tissue removal. This procedure may also enable the detection of cancer in adjacent areas such as the bladder or the urethra, although such occurrences are rare.
Dr. Christian Pavlovich, a urology and oncology professor at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, explained that the scope could uncover tumors or other abnormalities that may not have presented symptoms otherwise. Similarly, Dr. Justin Friedlander from Fox Chase Cancer Center highlighted that bloody urine observed during the procedure could indicate kidney or ureteral cancer.
Moreover, cancerous tissue unrelated to the prostate may be discovered during analysis of removed prostate tissue. Dr. Julio Pow-Sang, chair of the genitourinary oncology program at Moffitt Cancer Center, emphasized that while cancer findings during a prostate enlargement procedure are generally rare, unexpected discoveries can occur.
Although Buckingham Palace did not specify the exact procedure undergone by King Charles, they referred to it as “corrective.” The palace announced that Charles has commenced regular outpatient treatments for cancer in London and expressed gratitude to his medical team for their care and optimism regarding his treatment outcome. Charles looks forward to resuming full public duties as soon as possible.