King hears encouraging news on cancer treatment during Australia tour
At Sydney’s Melanoma Institute Australia, the King heard about immunotherapy research for patients with skin cancer, one of this country’s most common cancers, ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship reports
King Charles has been told how advances in skin cancer treatment in Australia could help patients with other types of cancer.
A highly-recognised Australian cancer researcher called the King “courageous” for sharing his own cancer diagnosis earlier this year - for which he is still receiving treatment.
At Sydney’s Melanoma Institute Australia on Tuesday, the King heard about immunotherapy research for patients with skin cancer, one of this country’s most common cancers.
Two leading medics, who were jointly-named 2024 Australians of the Year, told their royal guest that stimulating the immune system to attack the cancer has dramatically increased survival rates.
They said other types of cancer could benefit from their work.
Professors Georgina Long and Richard Scolyer explained to the King that 15 years ago, only 5% of those with a Stage 4 melanoma would survive beyond five years.
Now, 55% of those with the same diagnosis survive past the five-year mark.
King Charles was introduced to a skin cancer patient who’d had Stage 4 advanced melanoma 10 years ago.
We don’t know what cancer treatment the monarch is having but he seemed particularly interested in – and knowledgeable of – immunotherapy.
He asked Adam Brown, 44, about his immunotherapy treatment: "The treatment isn’t too bad, the immunotherapy?”
Mr Brown replied that he’d had “minimal side effects”.
“Fantastic. Brilliant. I’m so glad”, King Charles told him.
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Professor Georgina Long of Melanoma Institute Australia told the King they are getting better at treating the side effects of immunotherapy.
“When we stimulate the immune system, it can get confused and can start attacking normal tissue. And there are side effects that we become expert at managing”, Professor Long explained.
“Oh! You do?”, the King responded. “That’s very encouraging.”
Speaking about how both King Charles and the Princess of Wales have had cancer treatment this year, Professor Long said: “I can’t imagine what it’s been like for the Royal Family to have two cancer diagnoses.
"But what seems to be a really good thing for anyone who suffers from cancer, and a family who is going through that, is hope – hope that you can be treated and live a full life.”
Despite his own years of work on treating melanoma, Professor Richard Scolyer was diagnosed with brain cancer himself.
Some of his institute’s breakthrough research has been used to help treat his own cancer, although the science of his treatment is not fully developed.
Professor Scolyer says he has not yet had a recurrence of the tumour.
He told his guest there had been some “incredible advances", adding: “Some of the discoveries that we have made here, have made a real difference to many other cancers so it has been great to discuss those with the King.”
Speaking about how Charles, as monarch, had gone public with his diagnosis, Professor Scolyer said he had been “very courageous” because everyone reacts differently when they are told they have cancer.
King Charles and Queen Camilla will take those positive words with them as they travel from Australia to Samoa tomorrow for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Summit – the first summit of its kind with the King in his new role as Head of the Commonwealth.
But after three days on the Pacific Island, the King needs to return home at the weekend for more cancer treatment next week.
This is the Talking Royals - our weekly podcast about the royal family, with ITV News Royal Editor Chris Ship and Producer Lizzie Robinson