Accelerated aging in young people is associated with increased incidence of early cancers, particularly lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine cancers, pointing to the importance of modifiable factors in cancer risk. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
Studies have found that accelerated aging is associated with increased risk of early cancer development, prompting research into preventive measures tailored to biological age.
Accelerated aging is more common in recently born cohorts and is associated with early-onset solid tumors, according to research presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2024, held April 5-10. was associated with an increased incidence of
“Multiple types of cancer are becoming increasingly common among young people in the United States and globally,” said Ruiyi Tian, MPH, a graduate student in the lab of Ying Kao, Ph.D., MPH, at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “It’s becoming more and more,” he said. “Understanding the factors driving this increase may be key to improving cancer prevention and early detection in young and future generations.”
Tian et al. suggest that increasing biological age, indicative of accelerated aging, may contribute to the development of early-onset cancers, defined as cancers often diagnosed in adults younger than 55 years. I hypothesized. In contrast to chronological age, which indicates how long a person has lived, biological age refers to a person’s body condition and physiological processes, which are considered changeable, Tian explained.
“Unlike chronological age, biological age can be influenced by factors such as diet, physical activity, mental health, and environmental stressors,” she added. “Accumulating evidence suggests that younger generations may be aging faster than expected, perhaps due to early exposure to a variety of risk factors and environmental insults. However, the impact of accelerated aging on the development of early-onset cancer remains unclear.”
To examine the association between biological age and cancer risk in young people, Tian et al. examined data on 148,724 people held in the UK Biobank database. They used nine biomarkers found in the blood (albumin, alkaline phosphatase, creatinine, C-reactive protein, glucose, mean corpuscular volume, red blood cell distribution width, white blood cell count, and lymphocyte percentage) to Academic age was calculated. People whose biological age was higher than their chronological age were defined as having accelerated aging.
Tian et al. first assessed accelerated aging across birth cohorts and found that people born after 1965 were 17% more likely to experience accelerated aging than those born between 1950 and 1954. did. They then assessed the association between accelerated aging and risk of premature aging. Onset of cancer. The researchers found that for every standard deviation increase in accelerated aging, the risk of early-onset lung cancer increased by 42%, the risk of early-onset gastrointestinal cancer increased by 22%, and the risk of early-onset uterine cancer increased by 36%. I found that it increases. Accelerated aging did not significantly affect the risk of late-onset lung cancer (defined here as cancer diagnosed after age 55), but it did significantly affect the risk of late-onset gastrointestinal and uterine cancers. were associated with an increase of 16% and 23%, respectively.
“By examining the relationship between accelerated aging and the risk of early-onset cancer, we provide a new perspective on the common etiology of early-onset cancer,” Tian said. “If our findings are validated, interventions that slow biological aging could provide a new means of cancer prevention, and screening efforts could be tailored to young people who show signs of accelerated aging. This suggests that it may be useful for early detection of cancer.”
Tian et al.’s future research aims to elucidate the mechanisms that cause accelerated aging and early cancer development, and develop precise cancer prevention strategies.
A limitation of this study is that all participants were from the United Kingdom, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to populations with different genetic backgrounds, lifestyles, and environmental exposures. Dr. Tian pointed out that validation in diverse populations is needed.
This research was supported by: National Institutes of Health. Tian declares that he has no conflict of interest.
