This is given before or after a primary treatment, such as surgery, to reduce the chance of a cancer returning or spreading.

Preventative treatments given before the primary treatment are called neoadjuvant therapy. Preventative treatments given afterwards as in Kate’s case, are called adjuvant therapy.

According to Professor Andrew Beggs, Consultant Colorectal Surgeon at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, preventive chemotherapy is “a bit like mopping a floor with bleach when you’ve spilt something on it, chemotherapy kills any spilt cells”.

The value of this treatment varies between cancer types, and even the size and location of the same cancer type, notes Professor Bob Phillips, Professor of Paediatric Oncology at the University of York.

What does a course of chemotherapy look like?

There are many different types of chemotherapy, but the most common types are tablets and liquids that are put directly into the vein (intravenous chemotherapy).

Chemotherapy can also be combined with other treatments to make them more effective, such as when it is used alongside radiotherapy.

Chemotherapy given into a vein is usually carried out as an outpatient hospital procedure, whereas chemotherapy tablets can be taken at home, with regular check-ups from medical staff.

Sometimes, people have more than one type of chemotherapy.

How long they need treatment for also depends on the stage and type of cancer.