The Duchess of York has been told there appears to be no spread of her skin cancer following another bout of surgery.

Sarah, 65, received a devastating blow in January when doctors discovered a malignant melanoma during a second bout of reconstructive surgery following her breast cancer diagnosis last year.

The news came as a ‘huge shock’ to Prince Andrew’s ex-wife, affectionately dubbed Fergie, although friends said she was determined to ‘bounce back’.

Now the Mail can reveal that the duchess has undergone further surgery to examine the area around the mole that was found to be malignant, as well as her lymph nodes.

A friend said she had just learned that these were all ‘free of cancer’ and doctors believe there has been no spread of the disease.

While she must continue to be vigilant and undergo regular 12-week check-ups, the news was the ‘best possible outcome she could have hoped for’ and her prognosis is good.

The Duchess of York (pictured at the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece on Tuesday) has been told there appears to be no spread of her skin cancer following another bout of surgery

The Duchess of York (pictured at the memorial service for King Constantine of Greece on Tuesday) has been told there appears to be no spread of her skin cancer following another bout of surgery

Fergie stepped out with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, Sir Timothy Laurence, Mike Tindall and Princess Anne

Fergie stepped out with her ex-husband Prince Andrew, Sir Timothy Laurence, Mike Tindall and Princess AnneĀ 

Now she hopes to encourage more people to undertake regular mammograms and get their moles checked out.

‘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 duchess’ friend explained.

‘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.’

Sources close to the Duchess said doctors are reluctant to use the term ‘cancer free’ as vigilance is still very much needed, but added that there was very much cause for optimism.

The friend added: ‘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.

Sources close to the Duchess said doctors are reluctant to use the term 'cancer free' as vigilance is still very much needed, but added that there was very much cause for optimism. Fergie is pictured on Christmas Day at Sandringham

Sources close to the Duchess said doctors are reluctant to use the term ‘cancer free’ as vigilance is still very much needed, but added that there was very much cause for optimism. Fergie is pictured on Christmas Day at Sandringham

‘Her intention will be to get the message out about the importance of being vigilant about checking the size, shape, colour and texture of moles. If melanoma is caught early, it can be treated very effectively.’

Skin cancer is already something that has cast a shadow over Sarah’s life.

Her father, Major Ronald Ferguson, was undergoing chemotherapy for it shortly before he died in 2003.

And her best friend and former flatmate, Carolyn Cotterall, passed away in 1999 at the age of just 43 after an 18-month battle against the disease.

The duchess was diagnosed with early stage breast cancer last year and underwent a mastectomy and breast reconstruction, bravely talking about her experiences to encourage other women to get regular checks.

She almost missed her routine mammogram but was encouraged by her sister, Jane, who lives in Australia, to go.

While she didn’t have a lump – or, indeed, any obvious sign of cancer – the scan picked up an area of concern which led to her diagnosis.

It was while she was undergoing a second bout of reconstructive surgery at the end of last year that her dermatologist asked for some of her moles to be removed and taken away for testing as he wasn’t happy with the way they looked.

Sarah is now planning to celebrate by travelling to Australia in the next few days to see her sister and take part in Global Citizen Now in Melbourne, a summit designed to end extreme poverty around the world and focus on the climate change crisis.

The friend added: ‘She is overjoyed.’

Post source: Daily mail

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