Kate Middleton’s diagnosis comes amid rise in some early-onset cancers

In a videotaped statement revealing her diagnosis on Friday, the princess said the cancer was detected in tests performed after abdominal surgery in January. At the time of the operation, she said, His condition was believed to be non-cancerous. Cancer researchers said Friday that it would be irresponsible to speculate about his illness given the paucity of details.

But Catherine’s global celebrity and recognition of her cancer, experts said, could shed light on a worrying rise in certain cancers among people under 50.

“We need to focus on the message that young people need to be aware that they are also at risk,” said Fola May, a cancer researcher at UCLA Health and a board member of the nonprofit Fight Colorectal Cancer.

“It’s not just about older people anymore,” he said.

Experts note that overall cancer mortality has decreased significantly in recent years, reflecting better treatments and screening tests. But progress against cancer has been uneven. In the United States, the increase in mortality from some cancers has contributed to a decade-long erosion of life expectancy, driven primarily by chronic diseases.

The global incidence of cancers among the youngest increased almost 80 percent between 1990 and 2019, according to a study published in BMJ Oncology. In the United States, a study by American Cancer Society researchers found that detections of six of 12 obesity-related cancers (including colorectal, uterine, gallbladder, kidney and pancreas) increased significantly in young adults between 1995 and 2014, with more pronounced increases in successive cases. younger generations.

Some early detection may come from increased screening and increasingly sensitive imaging tests in routine medical practice, experts say. But not all.

Another study published in JAMA Network last year found that gastrointestinal, endocrine and breast cancers are increasing at a faster rate, particularly among women. Gastrointestinal cancers increased about 15 percent between 1990 and 2019, making them the fastest-growing type of cancer among younger people, the study’s author told The Washington Post last year.

Experts warned Friday that although Catherine’s cancer was detected during an abdominal procedure, there are many organs that could be affected. At 42, Catherine is younger than the recommended screening age for most cancers except cervical cancer, said Norman “Ned” Sharpless, former director of the National Cancer Institute and former acting commissioner of the U.S. Administration. Food and Medicine.

“Often cancers in very young people like her are related to some exposure or they have a family history or some comorbid disease that predisposes them to cancer,” Sharpless said.

Experts aren’t sure why cancer has increased among young people, but they speculate that obesity, alcohol, smoking and lifestyle may play a role, as well as exposure to pollutants and harmful chemicals.

Joel Gabre, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said he is seeing an increasing number of young adults with colon cancer, many of whom do not test positive on a genetic predisposition test. the illness.

“We think it’s certainly environmental,” Gabre said.

Doctors emphasize that people under 50 should feel empowered to visit a doctor if they experience symptoms such as unusual bleeding, unwanted weight gain, or nausea.

“If you have persistent symptoms that you know are not normal for you, talk to your doctors and make sure they follow up on these symptoms,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research at the American Cancer Society.