ST. LOUIS — The unexpected news of Princess Kate Middleton’s battle with cancer has sent shockwaves around the globe and right here in St. Louis.
At just 42-years-old, the Princess of Wales disclosed her ongoing treatment for the disease, sparking conversations about cancer awareness and proactive health measures.
Dr. Anjani Urban is a family medicine physician with SSM Health in St. Louis. She expressed her concern over the increasing trend of younger people being diagnosed with cancer.
“Unfortunately, we have been seeing, for unknown reasons, more and more of a trend of younger people being detected with cancer,” she said.
While specifics about Princess Kate’s cancer type and stage remain undisclosed, the revelation follows major abdominal surgery earlier this year.
Dr. Urban emphasizes the importance of regular cancer screenings, debunking the misconception that only those with a family history or noticeable symptoms require attention.
“By the time you have symptoms, we don’t even call it a screening test,” Dr. Urban explained. “We start to look for problems. Screening tests are very specifically for patients who have no symptoms.”
Kate said she’s in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy. Dr. Urban acknowledged the common side effects, such as nausea, that often accompany such treatments.
She also highlights the challenging task of breaking the news of a cancer diagnosis to children, emphasizing the significance of processing the information before sharing it in an age-appropriate manner.
“Young children are not going to understand all the same concepts as, say, an older child or a teenager, and their concerns are going to be very different,” she noted.
For parents grappling with how to broach the topic with their children, Dr. Urban suggests seeking guidance from their pediatrician, who can provide valuable insights tailored to the child’s age and understanding.
