Princess of Wales’ diagnosis highlights rise in cancer cases among those under 50

SINGAPORE – The cancer diagnosis for Catherine, Princess of Wales, has brought to light the troubling rise in certain cancers globally among people under 50. 

Cancer experts in Singapore say early detection from increased screening may be on the rise, but it is not the case for young-onset cancers, as those under 50 would not have met the age criteria for screening. 

Dr Gloria Chan from the Department of Haematology-Oncology at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore (NCIS) said the search for the cause of this rising trend in young-onset cancers worldwide is still ongoing. 

“What is troubling is that a large majority of these young patients do not have an identifiable inherited genetic cause of cancer and are otherwise young and healthy. This has been described as a ‘birth-cohort’ effect – patients who are born in 1990 are four times more likely to develop young-onset colorectal cancer than those born in 1950,” she said.  

According to a study published in BMJ Oncology, the global incidence of cancers among younger people increased by nearly 80 per cent between 1990 and 2019.

The Singapore Cancer Society’s statistics showed that the number of cancer incidences for those under 50 years old increased by 10.4 per cent from the period between 2008 and 2012 to the period between 2017 and 2021. The increase was from 11,416 cases to 12,600.

Dr Lu Wei, a gastroenterologist at Parkway East Hospital, said the global rise in cancer diagnoses among people younger than 50, including women, has been observed over the last 30 years.

“Our data from the Singapore Cancer Registry corroborates this trend, revealing a consistent uptick in the incidence of colorectal, liver, pancreas and stomach cancers among both women and men over the past two decades,” Dr Lu said.

The former Kate Middleton, 42, announced on March 22 that she has cancer and is in the early stages of chemotherapy. It came weeks after King Charles revealed his own cancer diagnosis.

In a recorded video statement disclosing her diagnosis, she 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.