Preventative chemotherapy is a treatment given before or after surgery,or another “primary” treatment,to reduce the chance of cancer returning or spreading.
The 42-year-old wife of the heir to the British throne did not disclose the type of cancer she is receiving treatment for.
Several recent analyses of cancer rates among under-50s have shown increasing incidence rates not explained by the introduction of screening programs,which typically focus on older populations.
A 2022 study published inNature found diagnoses of common types of cancer in the under-50s had been rising since the 1990s.
The study used population data from several countries,including Australia and England,with researchers describing the trend as an “early-onset cancer epidemic”.
Locally,the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)’s latestCancer in Australia report,published in 2021,found incidences of cancer had increased in people aged 40 to 59 more than any other age group.
The report also highlighted a particular increase in colorectal cancer – also known as bowel cancer – among the 20 to 39-year-old age group.