King Charles III's Cancer Battle
- King Charles III, who recently revealed to have experienced a loss of taste amid cancer treatment, has been undergoing treatment for cancer after doctors found it while treating his enlarged prostate, something that occurs in most men as they age.
- Buckingham Palace revealed to multiple news outlets King Charles does not have prostate cancer. The exact type and stage of cancer and Charles’ ongoing treatment have not been disclosed at this time. It’s also unknown whether he is still experiencing a loss of his sense of taste.
- Dr. Lawrence Piro, an oncology specialist affiliated with Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital, previously told SurvivorNet, “Chemotherapy affects the body by inhibiting cancer cells from dividing. But of course, it also inhibits normal cells from dividing. So, its side effects can be, in some cases, hair loss, in some cases mouth sores from affecting the lining of the mouth, of the stomach. Nausea, sometimes vomiting.”
- However, the most significant side effect is the risk of infection because chemotherapy tends to lower the number of blood cells.
- There are a lot of myths about how chemotherapy impacts people’s lives. It’s sometimes assumed that while undergoing chemotherapy you’ll be restricted to your home, and unable to move around but the opposite is actually true, says Dr. Marleen Meyers an oncologist at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center.
King Charles III, 75, who is undergoing treatment for cancer after doctors found it it while treating his enlarged prostate, has revealed he experienced a loss of his sense of taste amid treatment last year. Although Buckingham Palace hasn't confirmed the exact type of cancer the King is battling, what exactly his treatment entails, and whether his taste has returned, it's interesting to understand how cancer treatment can cause a variety of side effects—including a change in one's taste. King Charles III, who was crowned at Westminster Abbey last year, revealed he experienced a loss of taste while chatting with British Army veteran and cancer survivor Aaron Mapplebeck during his recent visit to the Army Flying Museum in Middle Wallop, Hampshire, according to the
Independent. The King admitted to losing his taste after Mapplebeck revealed he had been dealing with the side-effect while going through chemotherapy last year. And in doing so, they have raised awareness of the range of side effects patients can experience while fighting off cancer. According to
Henry Ford Cancer Center , referring to the loss of one's sense of smell and taste, Haythem Ali, M.D., a medical oncologist with the center says, "It doesn’t happen to everyone. It’s more likely to occur in cases when aggressive treatments must be used and when certain drugs that affect the nervous system are used, as smell and taste are part of the nervous system. "When using targeted treatments to treat head and neck cancers, the loss of smell and taste is also more likely. Especially so if you’re combining chemotherapy with radiation." As per Dr. Ali, taste buds and smell receptors consist of renewable cell tissue, and chemo and radiation prevent cell renewal. He explained furtherm "That’s why we do these treatments—because they limit the growth of abnormal cells. When you’re fighting cancer, this works really well to prevent tumors from growing. But normal tissue can also be affected, and that’s what leads to side effects like loss of smell and taste. "Since taste buds and smell receptor cells are not dividing during treatment, you can't renew them and so you lose them." As for
Cancer Council NSW, "Some treatments can affect the taste and smell of foods. Chemotherapy and targeted therapy drugs can change the taste receptors in the mouth. "Radiation therapy or surgery to the head, neck and mouth area can damage the salivary glands and tastebuds on the tongue. Food may taste bitter or metallic, or may not have as much flavor as before."
Resources For Managing Chemotherapy
However,
City of Hope advises that, "most of the time, changes in taste and smell are temporary side effects of cancer treatment." They note these side effects usually go away weeks or months after the treatment concludes. City of Hope says chemotherapy also changes receptor cells in your mouth, and "about 75 percent of people who undergo chemotherapy have some sort of change in their taste." "Radiation therapy for cancer, especially when it’s targeted to your head and neck, may cause damage to your taste buds and salivary glands. However, you may not notice symptoms for two or three weeks after treatment begins," City of Hope adds. "Surgery on any part of your oral cavity, such as your mouth or tongue, may affect the number of remaining taste buds. This may lead to a decreased sense of taste.
RELATED: Fighting Cancer With Food: Woman Uses Kitchen as an Outlet During Cancer Battle, Creates Cooking Show ‘Gangsta Goodies Kitchen’ The National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center explains further, "Other treatments and medications that may also affect your sense of taste and/or smell include antibiotics, opioids (for pain) and immunotherapies such as interleukin-2. "Sometimes, other side effects of treatment—such as nausea and vomiting, mouth sores or dry mouth—may also affect how foods taste and smell."
Coping With Chemotherapy Side Effects
There are a lot of myths about how chemotherapy impacts people’s lives. It’s sometimes assumed that while undergoing chemotherapy you’ll be restricted to your home, and unable to move around but the opposite is actually true, says Dr. Marleen Meyers an oncologist at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center.
RELATED: We're Always Hearing About the Health Benefits of 'Superfood' Blueberries Can They Actually Prevent or Treat Cancer? Many people can continue to work and Dr. Meyers encourages her patients to exercise, even if it’s just a walk. It can make a huge difference when dealing with fatigue, a common side effect of chemotherapy.
How to Deal With the Side Effects of Chemotherapy There are also treatments to help with the side effects of chemotherapy.
Many medications are available for treating nausea and vomiting as well as anemia. Other side effects like hot flashes, night sweats, and insomnia may be able to be managed with
integrative medicine , like mindfulness, yoga, and acupuncture. Meanwhile, it's important to understand that while
undergoing chemotherapy , the main diet goal is to maintain weight. Krista Maruschak, a registered dietician at the Cleveland Clinic, previously told SurvivorNet that eating six smaller meals a day and packing some extra calories and proteins into these meals when possible can make a big difference.
How to Maintain a Healthy Diet During Chemotherapy Extra calories doesn’t mean you should have a bag of potato chips with every meal. Things like nuts, dairy products, olive oil, avocados, and hummus are all healthy fats that will do the trick.
Dr. Lawrence Piro , an oncology specialist affiliated with
Cedars-Sinai Marina del Rey Hospital , previously told SurvivorNet, "Chemotherapy affects the body by inhibiting cancer cells from dividing. But of course, it also inhibits normal cells from dividing. So, its side effects can be, in some cases, hair loss, in some cases mouth sores from affecting the lining of the mouth, of the stomach. Nausea, sometimes vomiting.”
Communicating With Your Doctor During Chemotherapy However, the most significant side effect is the risk of infection because chemotherapy tends to lower the number of blood cells. “It lowers your white blood cells, which puts you at risk for infection. It lowers the red blood cells, which makes you anemic. And it lowers the small platelets fragments of cells that are important in blood clotting, and that could give you a risk for bleeding,” says Dr. Piro. For
Dr. Erin Crane , an oncologist at
Levine Cancer Institute Morehead in North Carolina, preparing patients for the likely side effects of their chemotherapy treatment plays a significant part in her approach to cancer care. “I think the biggest part of our jobs, whether it be from cancer diagnosis to counseling patients, is to reassure them that they’ll get through it and they’ll be okay,” says Dr. Crane. "So a big part of what I do when I talk to patients about the side effects and explain to them that many of the fears they have about the side effects of chemotherapy are manageable.” That means telling them that medication can treat the nausea and vomiting and assuring them that their fatigue will eventually go away.
Treating and Preventing Chemotherapy Side Effects “I do counsel patients that fatigue is one of the side effects that tend to get progressively harder to recover from with chemotherapy,” says Dr. Crane. “But once chemotherapy is over, within a few months, most patients regain their energy levels back.” There are also steps patients can take, says Dr. Crane, who notes that being active can make a world of difference. “I think it’s important for patients to try and remain as active as possible," she says. "And I know that of course, they don’t want to push themselves until they’re not feeling well, but trying to incorporate physical activity like going for a walk every day, doing things around the house to remain active really can help combat some of that fatigue and keep patients in better shape so that they’re better able to recover from chemotherapy and get back to normal when they’re done with treatment.”
Understanding Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
The King's disclosure of his loss of taste comes just months after King Charles III was diagnosed with cancer just days after being treated for an enlarged prostate.
RELATED: Older Men Thankful That King Charles III Is Removing The Shame Of Being Older and Getting Cancer The exact type of cancer remains undisclosed at this time, as well as the stage of his cancer. However, several news outlets reported a Buckingham Palace source saying the King is not battling prostate cancer.
RELATED: Actor Stanley Tucci Says His Sense of Taste & Smell Are ‘Almost Heightened’ After Cancer: ‘Food Means Everything To Me’ According to the
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), also known as benign prostatic hypertrophy or benign prostatic obstruction, is “a condition in men in which the prostate gland is enlarged and not cancerous.” The NIDDKD explains, “The prostate goes through two main growth periods as a man ages. The first occurs early in puberty, when the prostate doubles in size. The second phase of growth begins around age 25 and continues during most of a man’s life. Benign prostatic hyperplasia often occurs with the second growth phase.
RELATED: If You Feel Something, Say Something — Men Ignore Symptoms Too Often “As the prostate enlarges, the gland presses against and pinches the urethra. The bladder wall becomes thicker. Eventually, the bladder may weaken and lose the ability to empty completely, leaving some urine in the bladder. The narrowing of the urethra and urinary retention, the inability to empty the bladder completely, cause many of the problems associated with benign prostatic hyperplasia.” Benign prostatic hyperplasia is often an issue with men over 50 years old, the NHDDKD also notes, adding the men with the following factors or more likely to get benign prostatic hyperplasia:
- Age 40 years and older
- Family history of benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Lack of exercise
- Obesity, heart and circulatory disease, and type 2 diabetes
- Erectile dysfunction
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