Scientists are scrambling to find the cause of a mystery cancer ‘epidemic’ which is striking under-50s.
Kate Middleton’s shock diagnosis last week has shone a light on the startling trend, with top doctors claiming it is a worldwide problem.
Despite years of research, researchers are baffled as to what is behind the problem.
Increased awareness thanks to the likes of Dame Deborah James, who died from bowel cancer aged 40 in 2022, and improved diagnosis methods are thought to have played a role.
But, in the wake of the Princess of Wales’ news, one surgeon claimed an yet-to-be discovered factor could be to blame.
Professor Andrew Beggs, a consultant colorectal surgeon and a senior clinical fellow at the University of Birmingham, said: ‘There might be an unknown environmental factor that we haven’t discovered, despite extensive research.’