Accelerated aging may be the cause of an increase in cancer in people under 55

A rise in cancers among people aged 55 and younger may be related to accelerated aging in recent generations, according to a study presented at a conference earlier this month.

Experts say years of research support this, although there are still more questions to be answered.

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis presented findings from their accelerated aging study earlier this month at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting.

Ruiyi Tian, ​​one of the study’s authors, and the other researchers hypothesized that an increase in biological age, indicating accelerated aging, may be behind the development of early-onset cancers seen in people under 55. .

“Accumulating evidence suggests that younger generations may be aging more quickly than anticipated, likely due to early exposure to multiple risk factors and environmental insults. However, the impact of accelerated aging on the development of early-onset cancer remains uncertain,” Tian said in his presentation.

For their study, researchers analyzed data from 148,724 people that was kept in the UK Biobank database, which collects detailed genetic and lifestyle information from participants to help inform disease research.

“We speculate that common pathways, such as chronic inflammation and cellular senescence, may link accelerated aging to the development of early-onset cancers,” said Yin Cao, a translational cancer epidemiologist at the University of Washington at Siteman Cancer Center, in whose laboratory the study was conducted. conducted. said The Hill.

Among all early-onset cancers, “cancers of the lung, gastrointestinal system and uterus” were most strongly associated with accelerated aging in the study, according to Cao.

The study did not identify specific factors that may be contributing to accelerated aging, although Cao noted that previous research has linked “environmental and lifestyle influences” to potential causes. This universe of factors could include factors such as increased air travel, increased exposure to radiation and the presence of small “forever chemicals” that have been linked to health problems.

The full findings are expected to be published later this year. While this research may be alarming, aging experts say it corroborates what has long been understood by those who study aging.

“It has been known for many years in the field of aging that accelerated aging processes [are] predisposed to cancer,” said James Kirkland, Noaber Foundation Professor of Aging Research at the Mayo Clinic.

Conditions such as diabetes, pre-eclampsia, obesity and cancer treatments have been linked to younger populations developing an accelerated state of aging that leads to an accumulation of senescent cells that no longer divide but do not die. These cells secrete molecules that trigger inflammation and increase with age.

“If we introduce senescent cells and accelerate fundamental aging processes in preclinical models, we will accelerate the development of all existing types of cancer. At least on most models,” Kirkland said.

In the United Kingdom, where the data was obtained, average life expectancy has generally been on an upward trend since the 1980s, although a decline was observed from 2020 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But as life expectancy has increased, Kirkland noticed that an opposite trend has also emerged.

“So in recent years there has been a three-year increase in average life expectancy in the UK. There was a three-year decrease in what we call health expectancy. This is the period of life during which you are healthy, free, independent – ​​you know – free from pain, disability, etc. and cognitive impairment.”

So, although the association between accelerated aging and cancer has long been known, what could be causing new generations to experience higher rates of accelerated aging is what researchers are focused on discovering.

Cao’s study indicated that people born after 1965 had a 17% higher risk of accelerated aging than the generation born between 1950 and 1954.

Globally, key markers of aging are being observed in younger generations, despite lower smoking rates and even when factors such as obesity are accounted for, Kirkland said. This suggests there may be an environmental factor yet to be determined.

He noted that the reverse phenomenon was observed in the 1950s when pollution controls came into effect, with a delay in cancers observed in this period. Kirkland cited increased air travel, more radiation exposure and PFAS as potential causes of accelerated aging that should be investigated further.

The disparities between chronological and biological age go in both directions, according to Kirkland. Some people have biomarkers that suggest a biological age lower than their actual age, such as those who live in the so-called Blue Zones, parts of the world where populations show higher rates of increased longevity.

Known Blue Zones include parts of the world like Sardinia and Okinawa, where residents routinely live past the age of 100. Although separated by thousands of kilometers, residents in the Blue Zones generally share similar habits such as diets that focus on consuming whole foods, a strong sense of community, and regular physical activity.

Kirkland leads the Translational Geroscience Network, a research collaboration focused on fundamental mechanisms of aging and potential clinical interventions to prevent, delay, or treat age-related diseases. There are more than 80 ongoing clinical trials being conducted through this collaboration.

As more is learned about accelerated biological aging, Kirkland emphasized that it is still too early to draw definitive conclusions.

“Just knowing your biological age – as mentioned in this article or in this presentation – is not enough. That’s helpful, but if you can’t do anything about it… and I see that in patients, it creates a lot of anxiety,” he said.

“There is serious academic work underway with [Food and Drug Administration] and regulated clinical trials that are funded by various branches of government or reputable organizations such as the Alzheimer’s Foundation or the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. These tests are ongoing. We don’t know the answers yet.”