The recent news of the cancer of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, has stunned the world. At age 42, her early-onset cancer meaning a cancer diagnosis happening in adults less than 50 years of age, is unfortunately becoming more and more common. As one of the most admired women in this world, she has courageously shared her situation while asking for privacy. We’ll see that cancer is the great equalizer. The impact of early onset cancers whether royal or commoner is no different. It’s as common for royals as it is for commoners and increasing as I write.
Kate’s diagnosis has brought attention to these early-onset cancer diagnoses. According to a 2023 study in BMJ Oncology, the worldwide incidence of early-onset cancer increased by 79.1 percent from 1990-2019. In addition, other research consisting of a cohort of 562,145 early-onset cases published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed that in the United States, breast cancer accounted for the highest number of cases in this younger age population from 2010 to 2019 while rates of gastrointestinal cancers were rising even faster.
It’s these gastrointestinal cancers that concern us the most. According to Dana-Farber oncologist, Dr. Kimmie Ng, “People born in 1990 have over double the risk of being diagnosed with colon cancer as those born in 1950. And quadruple the risk of rectal cancer.”
As a cancer coach, I see more and more early-onset cancer cases each year. It’s heartbreaking to see a 23-year-old mother battling cancer during her pregnancy or a mother of three young children with stage 4 aggressive cancer fighting for her life in her 30s and wondering if her children will grow up without their mother. These things should not be.
When I was diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer, I was almost 59 years old and close to the age of 60 where cancer risks increase significantly. I didn’t have to worry about leaving three young children behind.
And why am I spending my retirement years working full-time for no pay researching and educating others how to prevent and survive cancer? To wake people up to the fact that there are many things we are doing daily that are opening the doors to the highest rates of cancer in our nation’s history!
Did you know that in 1930, 1 in 30 people were diagnosed with cancer? By 1972, that number had increased to 1 in 10. This increase is what caused President Richard Nixon to declare war on cancer with federal funding that still exists today. And although treatments, prognoses, and survival have improved, no one has been able to stop the rates of diagnosis which for baby boomers is now 1 in 2 for men and 1 in 3 for women. But hear me clearly, researchers now estimate that by 2030, every person born after this time, will have one or more cancers in their lifetime. Yes, cancer will become common and expected no matter who you are—whether a member of the royal family or a commoner like me.
Wake-up, wake-up, wake-up. Cancer is no respecter of persons. It’s not just attacking the elderly, it’s now also attacking the young, the rich, the poor, commoners, and royals. Just an examination of the royal family is alarming. In the past few months, both King Charles at age 75 and his daughter-in-law, Kate Middleton at age 42, have been diagnosed with different cancers and are now both being treated with chemotherapy.
Queen Elizabeth II lived until her nineties with no cancer diagnosis while having the weight of the world on her shoulders. She became queen at an earlier than expected age due to her father’s death from lung cancer in 1952. King George was a chain smoker. A biography of Elizabeth by Gyles Brandreth and soon to be released is rumored to reveal that the much-admired queen had myeloma in her last days, although her birth certificate read “death due to old age.” And I would agree that her death was a result of old age. She did well. Her husband Prince Phillip had prostate cancer back in 2008. King Charles, Queen Elizabeth, and Prince Phillip were not early-onset cancers. In fact, all fared well to not have any cancers until later in life.
So it is with the royals. Their courage to tell the world to warn others is greatly admired. My family, on the other hand are commoners. I never dreamed my uncle and grandmother would suffer with and die from colon cancer, and that both of my parents would one day both have this same cancer right around age 50. My parents encouraged all their children to have colonoscopies at an earlier age due to the family history. I received my first colonoscopy at age 30. Being proactive and getting the proper screenings according to age and family history has saved my siblings and me from this beast of a cancer. I also never dreamed that my father would also have melanoma and my mother would actually die from breast cancer. Cancer has hit my family hard. I was diagnosed with breast cancer just four months after my mother died from it.
Why are so many people being diagnosed with cancer—more than ever before? Why are so many adults under 50 being diagnosed with early-onset cancers? According to Dr. Jalal Baig, “Early-onset cancers are no anomaly. It’s part of a rising global trend that deflates the myth that cancer is the preserve of the elderly.” He also believes as do many others that diet, environment, and lifestyle are the reasons why. Even MD Anderson posted this message at a PGA Golf Tournament. Did you know up to 50 percent of cancer cases in the US can be prevented? Eat a plant-based diet.
According to a 2022 review published in Frontiers in Nutrition several dietary factors are associated with early-onset colon cancer such as processed foods that are low in fiber, fried foods, foods high in fat, and sugary drinks and desserts. Also known to increase early-onset risk is drinking high amounts of alcohol and toxins including microplastics in the environment.
It doesn’t matter whether you are a royal or a commoner, we must all make changes in our diet and lifestyle to increase our chances that cancer won’t show up on our doorstep. And kudos to both Kate Middleton and King Charles for making others aware.
Wake-up. Wake-up. Wake-up. Cancer is showing up in young adults and what are you doing to prevent it?
View this message on YouTube:
The Impact of Early-Onset Cancers Whether Royal or Commoner
Here’s another YouTube message:
Six Things That Increase Bone Density
For Your Health,
Ginny
Ginny Dent Brant is a speaker and writer who grew up in the halls of power in Washington, DC. She has battled cancer, ministered around the world, and served on the front lines of American culture as a counselor, educator, wellness advocate, and adjunct professor. Brant’s award-winning book, Finding True Freedom: From the White House to the World, was endorsed by Chuck Colson and featured in many TV and media interviews. Unleash Your God-Given Healing: Eight Steps to Prevent and Survive Cancer was released in May 2020 after her journey with cancer and was recently awarded the First Place Golden Scrolls Award for Memoirs, and Second Place in both Selah Awards for Memoirs and Director’s Choice Award for Nonfiction at the Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writer’s Conference. It recently received the Christian Authors Network’s (CAN) Gold Award for Excellence in Marketing for reaching 62.5 million people with a message of cancer prevention and survival. It was written with commentary from an oncologist and was featured on CBN’s Healthy Living Show, Atlanta Live, and CTN’s Homekeepers along with over 75 media outlets. Learn more and cancer and wellness prevention blog and book information at www.ginnybrant.com.
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