ALL RIGHT TOM, THANK YOU. WELL, TONIGHT WE KNOW THE REASON WHY KATE MIDDLETON HAS BEEN ABSENT FROM PUBLIC LIFE. AND A VIDEO TODAY THE PRINCESS OF WALES ANNOUNCED SHE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER AND IS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. IT ALL COMES AFTER WEEKS OF SPECULATION ONLINE ABOUT WHERE SHE HAS BEEN. IN JANUARY, KENSINGTON PALACE ANNOUNCED THAT THE PRINCESS WOULD UNDERGO A MINOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY, TAKE TIME TO RECOVER AND THEN RETURN TO PUBLIC LIFE AROUND EASTER. TODAY, SHE FINALLY EXPLAINED WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IN JANUARY, I UNDERWENT MAJOR ABDOMINAL SURGERY IN LONDON AND AT THE TIME IT WAS THOUGHT THAT MY CONDITION WAS NON-CANCEROUS AS THE SURGERY WAS. SUCCESSFUL. HOWEVER, TESTS AFTER THE OPERATION FOUND CANCER HAD BEEN PRESENT. AT THIS TIME, I’M ALSO THINKING OF ALL THOSE WHOSE LIVES HAVE BEEN AFFECTED BY CANCER. FOR EVERYONE FACING THIS DISEASE, IN WHATEVER FORM, PLEASE DO NOT LOSE FAITH OR HOPE. YOU ARE NOT ALONE. ARE WE STILL DON’T KNOW WHAT TYPE OF CANCER IT IS OR HOW ADVANCED IT IS, BUT THE PRINCESS DID CLARIFY TODAY SHE WILL NOT BE RETURNING TO PUBLIC LIFE FOR QUITE SOME TIME. AND THIS ALL COMES JUST WEEKS AFTER KING CHARLES ANNOUNCED HE IS BATTLING PROSTATE CANCER. IN A STATEMENT TONIGHT, THE KING SAID HE IS, QUOTE, SO PROUD OF KATE FOR SHARING HER DIAGNOSIS. WELL, AS THE ROYAL FAMILY’S HEALTH MAKES HEADLINES AROUND THE WORLD, EXPERTS ARE REMINDING YOU IT’S NEVER TOO EARLY TO GET SCREENED FOR CANCER. 11 NEWS REPORTER TORI YORGEY JOINS US LIVE FROM MERCY MEDICAL CENTER. AND TORI, YOU SPOKE WITH AN ONCOLOGIST TONIGHT ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF EARLY DETECTION IN RIGHT KAI ASHLEY AND THAT ONCOLOGIST TELLING ME THAT SHOCKING DIAGNOSIS LIKE THE ONE WE SAW TODAY FROM THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY, IT REALLY IS JUST AN UNFORTUNATE REALITY FOR MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE. HE IS NOW URGING A LOT OF EARLY DETECTION TESTING BASED ON YOUR AGE AND OF COURSE, YOUR BACKGROUND. KATE MIDDLETON’S DIAGNOSE THIS COMING AS A SHOCK TO MANY IN HER FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE IN MONTHS. FROM WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR, SHE HAD ABDOMINAL SURGERY. SO SOMEONE WHO HAS ABDOMINAL SURGERY FOR CANCER MOST LIKELY THEY WILL HAVE CANCER ORIGINATING IN THE BOWEL IN THE GASTRIC TRACT, AS WE CALL IT, WHICH IS USUALLY COLON CANCER. IT CAN BE OTHER THINGS TOO, THOUGH. DETAILS OF THE EXACT DIAGNOSIS HAVEN’T BEEN RELEASED. MEDICAL ONCOLOGIST DOCTOR PETER LEY WITH MERCY MEDICAL CENTER SAYS THIS IS A SOMBER REMINDER FOR EVERYONE TO CONSULT WITH YOUR DOCTOR AND GET SCREENED. HE SAYS OVARIAN, COLON AND BREAST CANCER ARE AMONG THE MOST COMMON TYPES OF CANCER HE SEES. HE RECOMMENDS AN ANNUAL MAMMOGRAM FOR WOMEN AFTER THE AGE OF 40 FOR COLON CANCER. HE SAYS ANYONE OVER THE AGE OF 40 SHOULD ASK ABOUT A COLONEL ESCAPI. IT IS NOT JUST HERE TO DETECT THE CANCER EARLIER, BUT YOU CAN ACTUALLY REMOVE THE ADENOMAS, THE POLYPS, THE PRE-MALIGNANT TUMORS THAT IF YOU DON’T REMOVE THEM, EVENTUALLY THEY WILL BECOME CANCER. LATER IN LIFE BEFORE OVARIAN CANCER, DOCTOR LEYKIS SAYS MANY WOMEN ALREADY SHOW SYMPTOMS BY THE TIME THE CANCER IS FOUND BECAUSE THERE’S NOT A RELIABLE WAY TO DETECT IT YET, HE SAYS. OVERALL, YOU SHOULD LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. ANY TYPE OF SYMPTOMS, PARTICULARLY PAIN, ABNORMAL BLEEDING, BLOATING, SHORTNESS OF BREATH, PROBLEMS WITH A BOWEL MOVEMENTS, YOU KNOW, BLOOD IN THE STOOL. I MEAN, ALL THESE THINGS HAVE TO BE INVESTIGATED AND. HE SAYS THAT THOSE SYMPTOMS THAT HE JUST LISTED THERE, THEY’RE USUALLY NOT A ONE TIME THING. THEY’RE USUALLY SOMETHING THAT’S REOCCURRING OVER TIME URGING YOU TO GO GET IT ALL CHECKED OUT. LIVE FROM MERCY MEDICA