The Duchess of York opens up about her recent skin cancer diagnosis.
Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York, has been diagnosed with skin cancer, a spokesperson told the Associated Press earlier this week. Doctors discovered the melanoma while treating Ferguson, 64, for breast cancer.
“Naturally another cancer diagnosis has been a shock, but I’m in good spirits and grateful for the many messages of love and support,” Ferguson posted on Instagram.
The cancer was detected while Ferguson, who had a mastectomy last summer, underwent reconstructive surgery. The duchess’s dermatologist requested that several of her moles be removed during the procedure; one of those moles was found to be cancerous, a spokesperson told TODAY. Doctors are analyzing the cancer to determine how far along it’s progressed.
“I believe my experience underlines the importance of checking the size, shape, colour, and texture and emergence of new moles that can be a sign of melanoma and urge anyone who is reading this to be diligent,” Ferguson wrote.
The news comes during a difficult period for the royal family. Just last week, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles would need an operation to treat an enlarged prostate and that Kate Middleton would have an abdominal surgery.
What is melanoma?
Melanoma is a form of skin cancer that develops when melanocytes — the cells that give the skin its color — grow out of control, according to the American Cancer Society. It’s less common than other skin cancers, but it can be more dangerous because of its tendency to spread to other parts of the body.
People with lighter colored skin are more likely to develop melanoma than others. The lifetime risk of developing it is about 3 percent for white people, 0.5 percent for Hispanic people, and 0.1 percent for Black people, according to the American Cancer Society. The risk also increases with age: The average age at diagnosis is 66.
Sarah Ferguson’s breast cancer diagnosis
Ferguson, who was married to Prince Andrew for 10 years before their divorce in 1996, revealed her breast cancer diagnosis in June 2023. Doctors caught the cancer in an early stage after a routine mammogram, a spokesperson said at the time.
“The duchess is receiving the best medical care, and her doctors have told her that the prognosis is good,” the spokersperson said.
In August, “Fergie,” as she’s sometimes called, shared on her podcast Tea Talks with the Duchess and Sarah that she’d had a single mastectomy and had taken to calling her reconstructed left breast Derek.
“I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I beat breast cancer, and now I have got a Derek on my left,” she wrote in an Instagram post last month. “I am 64 and just getting started.”
