Princess of Wales' diagnosis highlights rise in cancer cases among under-50s

Experts say search for cause of rising trend ongoing, likely to be multifactorial

- Judith Tan

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 youngonset 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 journal, the global incidence of cancer among younger people increased by nearly 80 per cent between 1990 and 2019.

The Singapore Cancer Society's statistics showed that the incidence of cancer for those under 50 years old increased by 10.4 per cent from between 2008 and 2012 to between 2017 and 2021.

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.