Kate (42) is not alone

“Cancer epidemic”: why many young people are affected

At 42, Princess Kate is one of the younger and younger cancer patients.

(Bild: Twitter.com/KensingtonRoyal)

The shock diagnosis of cancer is increasingly affecting young people. Among those under 50, the diagnosis has risen by almost 80 percent. Micro- and nanoplastics are being targeted as triggers. An Austrian research team is investigating the role it plays in the formation of metastases.

Princess Kate has been diagnosed with cancer. At the age of 42, it is not yet known which one, only "an operation in the abdomen" and "preventative chemotherapy" have been made public. A shock diagnosis. Until now, she was considered a symbol of an exemplary lifestyle. Young, fit and healthy - and cancer as a disease of old age and those with multiple risk factors.

But now the news: according to a study by Washington University, a stressful, unhealthy lifestyle could cause young people to age faster, with cells losing their ability to repair themselves. According to The Harvard Gazette, Kate is not alone. Its headline reads: "Dramatic rise in cancer under 50". The US National Cancer Institute even speaks of a "cancer epidemic among boys".