The cancer diagnosis for Catherine, Princess of Wales, comes amid rising rates of certain cancers among young people globally. Although details of her condition remain sparse, doctors said the illness of the 42-year-old royal underscores the importance of cancer screening for people who have higher risk factors such as a family history of the disease.
In a recorded video statement disclosing her diagnosis Friday, the princess said the cancer was detected in tests that followed abdominal surgery in January. At the time of the operation, she said, it was believed her condition was not cancerous. Cancer researchers said Friday it would be irresponsible to speculate about her illness given the paucity of details.
But Catherine’s global celebrity and acknowledgment of her cancer, experts said, could shine a light on a troubling rise in certain cancers among people under 50.
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“We need to focus on the messaging that young people need to be aware 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 only older people anymore,” she said.
Experts point out that overall cancer mortality has dropped significantly in recent years, reflecting improved treatment and screening. But the progress against cancer has been uneven. In the United States, the rise in mortality from some cancers has contributed to a decade-long erosion in life expectancy driven primarily by chronic disease.
The global incidence of cancers among younger people increased by nearly 80 percent between 1990 and 2019, according to a study published in BMJ Oncology. In the United States, one study by American Cancer Society researchers found that detections of six of 12 cancers related to obesity — including colorectal, uterine, gallbladder, kidney and pancreatic — jumped significantly in young adults between 1995 and 2014, with steeper rises in successively younger generations.
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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 climbing at the fastest rates, particularly for women. Gastrointestinal cancers increased about 15 percent between 1990 and 2019 — making it the fastest-growing type of cancer among younger people, the study’s author told The Washington Post last year.
Experts warned Friday that even though Catherine’s cancer was detected during an abdominal procedure, there are many organs that could be affected. At 42, Catherine is younger than the screening age recommended for most cancers except cervical, noted Norman “Ned” Sharpless, former director of the National Cancer Institute and former acting commissioner at the Food and Drug Administration.
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“Often, cancers in really young people like her are related to some exposure or they have a family history or some co-morbid illness that predisposes them to cancer,” Sharpless said.
Experts are not sure why cancer has increased among young people but 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 a greater number of younger adults with colon cancer — many who do not test positive for a genetic predisposition for the disease.
“We think it’s certainly environmental,” Gabre said.
Doctors stress that people younger than 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 aren’t normal for you, go see your doctors and make sure that they follow up on these symptoms,” said Rebecca Siegel, senior scientific director of surveillance research for the American Cancer Society.
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