Royal Shares Health News Amid Cancer Battle

Sarah Ferguson has reportedly been told by doctors her skin cancer has not spread. A malignant melanoma was identified in January after dermatologists carrying out reconstructive breast surgery after her breast cancer spotted suspicious moles.

Tests revealed one mole was malignant. At the time, a friend told The Daily Beast: “It’s just unbelievably bad luck, really. She has been incredibly brave about the breast cancer, and I’m sure she will be just as brave about this. Hopefully, they have caught it really early.”

The Mail reported Friday that that the Duchess of York had “undergone further surgery to examine the area around the mole that was found to be malignant, as well as her lymph nodes.” A friend told the paper she had just learned that these were all “free of cancer,” and doctors believe there has been no spread of the disease. She will now undergo regular 12-week check-ups; the news, the friend said, was the “best possible outcome she could have hoped for,” and her prognosis was good.

“She’s undergone further surgery following the melanoma diagnosis to examine the area around the mole that was found to be malignant and her lymph nodes,” the friend told the Mail. “The good news is that these have all been found to be free of cancer so it looks like there has been no spread of the disease and the prognosis is good, though she’ll have to have regular check-ups going forward. It’s a huge relief for Sarah and the entire family after the most stressful time and an anxious wait for results.”

Her doctors are reportedly reluctant to use the term “cancer free,” a source told the paper, as “vigilance is still very much needed,” but “there was very much cause for optimism.”

“You can expect to see her banging the drum for the public health message, and urging people not to miss mammograms or delay getting moles checked.”

— Friend of Sarah Ferguson

The friend told the paper: “She is very lucky that the melanoma was caught early thanks to the vigilance of her dermatologist, who asked for a number of moles to be checked while she was undergoing reconstructive surgery after her mastectomy. Sarah will now have to have checks every 12 weeks. She’s determined that some good comes out of her situation, and was heartened to see there was an upsurge in people checking for details of melanoma on the NHS website after she made her diagnosis public.

“You can expect to see her banging the drum for the public health message, and urging people not to miss mammograms or delay getting moles checked. Her intention will be to get the message out about the importance of being vigilant about checking the size, shape, color and texture of moles. If melanoma is caught early, it can be treated very effectively.”