There is no doubt this will be an anxious time for the King and those around him

IT is less than 12 weeks since Buckingham Palace announced that the King had been diagnosed with a form of cancer and begun treatment. Details have been scant.

The Palace has been at pains not to reveal what kind of cancer the King has, only saying that the cancer was discovered during his treatment for an enlarged prostate.

In a statement yesterday, the Palace said that doctors were so “sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far” that the King was able to resume his public role.

However, treatment continues. The palace said it was “too early to say” how long this will continue, but that His Majesty’s medical team are “very encouraged by the progress made so far and remain positive about The King’s continued recovery”.

Even once the King’s treatment is over, recovery from cancer is a waiting game.

Cancer Research UK notes: “For most people who are in this situation, each day lowers the risk of a recurrence. Most cancers that are going to come back will do so in the first two years or so after treatment. After five years, you are even less likely to get a recurrence. For some types of cancer, after 10 years your doctor might say that you are cured.”

For now, the King may be glad to see the back of a rather testing winter, returning to a more public role as spring gives way to summer.

The past four months have seen the King in and out of hospital, starting with a three-night stay at the London Clinic for a “corrective procedure” to treat an enlarged prostate, during which medics identified the “separate issue of concern” which was later diagnosed as cancer.

In February, he began the schedule of regular treatments as a hospital outpatient.

At 75, the King has enjoyed years of robust health, keeping active with hill-walking and gardening, and a largely organic diet. While the last few months are likely to have taken their toll, this residual fitness could help to boost his recovery.

The Queen has spoken of her husband’s fitness before, during the pandemic, telling the BBC: “He is probably the fittest man of his age I know. He’ll walk and walk and walk. He’s like a mountain goat, he leaves everybody miles behind”.

In recent years, the NHS has begun rolling out “prehab” exercises for cancer patients, with evidence that good fitness levels before starting treatment can help to “prime” the body’s responses to treatment, and speed up the return to health.

However, there is no doubt that this remains an anxious time for the King and those around him.

While the positive update from the Palace will fuel hopes that a future update will confirm the King’s treatment has been successfully completed, even then his recovery will be a journey which can only be taken one day at a time.

For all the bombastic talk of cancer being “cured”, or of being given “the all-clear” the truth is that for many of those diagnosed with the disease the journey which follows can be slow and uncertain.

Doctors will typically say patients are in remission when signs of their cancer have disappeared.

If traces have reduced to a significant extent, they may speak of “partial remission”.

But most oncologists are reluctant to use the language of cure unless a patient remains in complete remission for five years, with some drawing the line at 10.

Cancer can recur if the original treatment did not eradicate all the cancer cells, and those left behind grow into a new tumour – or if some cells have spread elsewhere in the body, and begun to form a new growth.

Risks vary for different cancers, and the stage at which they are caught.

Overall, the risk of developing cancer increases with age and more people receive a diagnosis during their 70s than in any other decade.

‘Most cancers that are going to come back will do so in the first two years after treatment’

‘He is probably the fittest man I know. He will walk and walk and walk’