Kate Middleton's diagnosis comes amid an “epidemic” of early cancer

health

by Tracy Swartz

Kate Middleton revealed on Friday that she is battling cancer that was discovered after recent abdominal surgery — and now, oncologists are sounding the alarm about an uptick in some types of cancer among younger adults.

“There is a current epidemic of cancer in younger people (under 50),” said Dr. Shivan Sivakumar, associate professor of oncology at the University of Birmingham in England. He told The Telegraph last week.

“It is not known why this is, but we are seeing more patients developing abdominal cancer,” Sivakumar added.

This is not limited to stomach cancers only. The incidence of colorectal cancer has increased Among US adults younger than 55 years. study Published last year in the journal BMJ Oncology It found a 79% rise in the global incidence of early-stage cancer and a 27% increase in early-onset cancer deaths between 1990 and 2019.

The researchers noted that cancers of the breast, trachea, bronchus, lung, colon, rectum and stomach caused the most illnesses and deaths among younger adults in 2019, and they blamed poor diet, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, physical inactivity and excess body fat.

Faculty at Harvard Medical School went so far as to refer to early-stage cancer as an “emerging global epidemic.” In 2022 research.

Middleton (42 years old) did not specify the type of cancer she suffers from, but tests following her “major abdominal surgery” in January “found the presence of cancer.”

Middleton said: “Therefore, my medical team advised me that I should undergo a course of preventive chemotherapy, and I am now in the early stages of this treatment.”

Andrew Biggs, a consultant colorectal surgeon and senior clinical fellow at the University of Birmingham, told The Telegraph that the diagnosis must have hit the royal family “like a bus”.

“When I started as a cancer surgeon 20 years ago, I rarely saw any younger patients, but now I see them regularly,” said Biggs, who runs a clinic for cancer patients under 45.

He added: “When they come, they are shocked, because often they have no symptoms, and because of their age they do not think about cancer.”

The Telegraph spoke to researchers who speculated on possible reasons for the growth of some cancers, including genetic factors and changes in the gut microbiome.

Dr. Veda Giria medical oncologist at Yale University and director of the Yale Cancer Center Early Cancer Program at Smilo Cancer HospitalThe prevalence of early-stage cancer “suggests the need for more research in all kinds of areas — in population sciences, behavioral health, public health, and basic sciences as well,” he said this month.

“So, we are now focusing on recognizing that early-stage cancer is a different type of cancer and providing more support for these younger patients.” She explained.

Experts say that the Princess of Wales's public trip It may encourage young people To get tested – which could lead to more documented cases of cancer.

A Texas man who was diagnosed with stage 2 colon cancer in 2021 said he was inspired by “Black Panther” star Chadwick Boseman, who died of colon cancer in 2020 at age 43.

“Chadwick Boseman has raised awareness,” Randall D. Hardy he told his local ABC station in 2022. “Even for me. Just seeing how very graceful he was through that. It showed how you can have strength, even in a situation like that, to keep moving forward and doing the right things.”

“The Newsroom” actress Olivia Munn, 43, recently revealed that she was diagnosed with breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, and credited her doctor for conducting a cancer risk assessment.

“The fact that she saved my life,” Moon wrote in an Instagram post this month.