Kate Middleton's Preventative Chemo: What Data Shows About Global Cancer Burden

Kate Middleton is undergoing preventative chemotherapy, she revealed in a video posted to X.

Between 1990-2019, the global incidence of early-onset cancer increased by 79.1 percent. During the same period, the number of early-onset cancer deaths increased by 27.7 percent.

(Photo: FIT)

Kate Middleton, now Catherine, Princess of Wales, is undergoing preventative chemotherapy, she revealed in a video posted to X (formerly Twitter), late Friday night.

Kate had undergone a major abdominal surgery in January this year. Following the surgery, her medical team ran some tests that found out that cancer had been present in her body.

Now in the early stages of treatment, Kate finally opened up about how this came as a “huge shock” and has been a difficult time to navigate for her family.

She is not alone in this, however.

According to Cancer Research UK, one in two people in the country get diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.

FIT takes a closer look at the global burden of the disease.

But First, What Is Preventative Chemotherapy?

Chemotherapy is a method of treating cancer, using chemicals. According to the American Cancer Society, “traditional or standard chemotherapy uses drugs that are cytotoxic, meaning they can kill tumor cells.”

However, Kate, in the video, mentioned that she is undergoing “preventative chemotherapy,” which is scientifically called adjuvant therapy.

Adjuvant therapy comes after primary treatments – for instance, surgery – have already been administered. It’s used to “lessen the chance of your cancer coming back. Even if your surgery was successful at removing all visible cancer, microscopic bits of cancer sometimes remain and are undetectable with current methods,” according to Mayo Clinic.

While the drugs used for adjuvant therapy are the standard drugs used for chemotherapy as well, the former has shown significant success in terms of reducing the risk of relapse – which is why it is often used for later stage malignancies. 

Usually administered over a course of three months (or more, depending on the patient), this treatment method requires injecting the medication for several hours to the patient.

Are there any side effects of preventative chemotherapy? Possible side effects could be:

• Nausea

• Fatigue

• Hair loss

• Difficulty eating/loss of appetite

• Bleeding

According to the World Health Organization, “Between 2015 and 2019, more than one billion people were treated annually through preventive chemotherapy.”

Noteworthily, there are various types of preventative chemotherapies – neoadjuvant, palliative, and perioperative therapy, among them.

The Global Burden of Cancer: What the Numbers Show

Between 1990-2019, the global incidence of early-onset cancer increased by 79.1 percent. During the same period, the number of early-onset cancer deaths increased by 27.7 percent.

This is what a 2023 study published in the BMJ Oncology journal suggests. The study also goes on to say, 

“Early-onset breast, tracheal, bronchus and lung, stomach and colorectal cancers showed the highest mortality and DALYs (disability-adjusted life years) in 2019. Globally, the incidence rates of early-onset nasopharyngeal and prostate cancer showed the fastest increasing trend, whereas early-onset liver cancer showed the sharpest decrease. Early-onset colorectal cancers had high DALYs within the top five ranking for both men and women. High-middle and middle Sociodemographic Index (SDI) regions had the highest burden of early-onset cancer.”

Rate of incidence of cancer between 1990-2019.

(Source: BMJ Oncology)

Deaths due to cancer between 1990-2019.

(Source: BMJ Oncology)

It’s not just one study that points to this increasing global burden though. Another study from 2023, published in JAMA Network Open, established the increased rate of early-onset cancer between 2010-2019. 

It highlighted that while breast cancer had the highest number of incident cases, gastrointestinal cancers had the fastest-growing incidence rates among all early-onset cancers.

According to World Cancer Research Fund International, in 2020, there were 18.1 million active cancer cases globally.

Over half of these cases were found in men – 9.3 million cases. 8.8 million women had been diagnosed with cancer in the year. 

The five most common cancers in 2020.

(Source: World Cancer Research Fund International)

In the same year, cancer was also the leading cause of deaths globally, having caused around 10 million casualties. 

What can be done to reduce this burden? The WHO says,

“Between 30 and 50 percent of cancers can currently be prevented by avoiding risk factors and implementing existing evidence-based prevention strategies. The cancer burden can also be reduced through early detection of cancer and appropriate treatment and care of patients who develop cancer. Many cancers have a high chance of cure if diagnosed early and treated appropriately.”

Early detection and diagnosis, regular screenings, and palliative care are the way to go if countries want to prevent the increasing incidence rates of cancer.