IN THE QUEST TO UNRAVEL THE MYSTERY behind the surge of certain cancers among younger adults, researchers have stumbled upon a compelling lead: a correlation with accelerated biological aging. Today’s topic is accelerated aging and cancer risk among young persons.
This revelation promises to illuminate the underlying factors driving this alarming trend, offering valuable insights into potential preventive measures and treatment strategies.
Join me as we delve into the fascinating intersection of cancer research and the aging process.
Cancer is Rising Among Young Folks
Many envision the early stages of adulthood as a time of discovery and growth—a phase dedicated to career pursuits, forming relationships, exploring the world, and relishing life’s pleasures.
The specter of cancer, typically associated with later stages of life, may rarely enter their thoughts.
However, a troubling pattern is emerging: cancer is striking younger adults at alarming rates — sometimes even before they reach their 40s or 50s.
Early-Onset Cancer Remains a Small Slice
Cancers diagnosed in adults under the age of 50 — termed early-onset cancers — represent a minority of total cases, yet their incidence rate is steadily rising.
This unsettling reality underscores the imperative for heightened vigilance and proactive steps to confront this evolving health concern head-on.
Why Are More Young People Getting Cancer?
Let’s look at the young-onset cancer rise in more detail.
- Colorectal cancer. Early-onset cancers often target the digestive system, with notable rises observed in colorectal, pancreatic, and stomach cancers.
- Uterus cancer. In the United States, renowned for its meticulous cancer data collection, uterine cancer has shown a consistent annual increase of two percent among individuals younger than 50 since the mid-1990s.
- Breast cancer. Early-onset breast cancer surged by 3.8 percent per year from 2016 to 2019.
- Other cancers. While colorectal cancer garners significant global attention due to its prevalence, other cancers, such as prostate cancers, are also experiencing upticks in incidence rates.
How are early-onset cancers different?
Here are five ways early-onset cancer differs from cancer diagnosed in older adults:
- Age Criteria: Early-onset cancer is typically defined by age thresholds that vary depending on the type of cancer. For instance, breast cancer is considered early-onset if diagnosed before age 45, while colorectal cancer is early-onset if diagnosed before age 50.
- Incidence: While the median age for cancer diagnosis is around 66 years old, it’s not uncommon for individuals to have a diagnosis before age 50. However, this deviates from the expected trajectory of cancer incidence, which typically increases steeply after age 50 to 60 due to accumulating cell damage.
- Aggressiveness: Certain cancers, like breast cancer, may exhibit more aggressive behavior in younger adults. For example, younger women are more likely to have triple-negative and HER2-positive breast cancers, which are associated with a higher aggressiveness and may require more intensive treatments.
- Genetic Factors: Younger individuals diagnosed with breast cancer are more likely to have genetic mutations, such as BRCA mutations, although these account for only a minority of early-onset cases. Other contributing factors to early-onset cancers remain unclear.
- Presentation and Progression: Younger adults diagnosed with colorectal cancer may present with more aggressive tumors and may be diagnosed at a more advanced stage compared to older adults. This finding is not solely secondary to delays in diagnosis, indicating potential differences in disease biology between age groups.
Overall, the excerpt underscores the importance of recognizing and addressing the unique characteristics and challenges of early-onset cancer, including differences in tumor biology, treatment, and potential genetic factors.
New Clues About Early-Onset Cancer
I recently saw some intriguing findings from the 2024 American Association of Cancer Research’s annual conference in San Diego.
What the researchers discovered surprised me at first.
After reflection, however, it all makes sense as to one reason we are seeing a rise in some types of early-onset cancer:
Early-onset cancer is connected to accelerated biological aging.
Study Details – Accelerated Aging and Young Cancer Risk
Let’s look at how the researchers did their work.
The focused on nine blood markers that correlate with biological age. These measures include the following:
- Albumin is a protein created by the liver that decreases with age
- Creatinine is a waste product in blood. Creatine is made by protein digestion and muscle tissue breakdown. Creatine is a measure of kidney function. Lower levels correlate with greater longevity.
- Glucose: As we age, blood sugar remains elevated longer after meals.
- The liver produces C-reactive protein in response to inflammation, and relatively higher levels correspond to accelerated aging
- Lymphocyte percent. The concentration of these white blood cells related to immune function tends to drop with age.
- Mean cell volume: This measure of the average size of red blood cells increases with age
- Red cell distribution width: the difference between the size of your smallest and largest red blood cells. The distribution width increases with age.
- Alkaline phosphatase: an enzyme produced mainly by the liver and bones that tend to rise with age
- White blood cell counts: Numbers of white cells in the blood’s high end of the normal range may correlate with greater aging.
Putting It All Together
The researchers put these numbers into a PhenoAge algorithm to calculate each subject’s biological age.
They determined accelerated aging by comparing people’s biological and chronological ages.
The investigators then checked cancer registries to see how many in the group had been diagnosed with early cancers.
Study Findings – Accelerated Aging and Young Cancer Risk
The researchers defined early cancers as ones appearing before age 55. There were nearly 3,200 early-onset cancers diagnosed.
The researchers discovered this:
People born in 1965 or later were nearly 1.2 times (17 percent) more likely to show accelerated aging than those born from 1950 through 1954.
Upon meticulously adjusting the data to account for potential biases, researchers discovered a clear correlation between accelerated aging and heightened cancer risk.
The authors noted strong associations with lung, stomach, intestinal, and uterine cancers.
My Take – Accelerated Aging and Young Cancer Risk
I have some problems with the study.
First, researchers determined the results from a single blood test. This approach gives only a snapshot of risk.
I prefer scientists follow the same individuals for years, with intermittent blood tests, to understand risk better.
I also prefer that studies such as these be done in diverse populations. This study involved participants from the United Kingdom.
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
Final Thoughts – Accelerated Aging and Young Cancer Risk
The study suggests a way to find younger individuals who have a higher risk of suffering from cancer.
Most young persons without strong risk factors (such as a strong family history) do not have cancer screening.
Imagine an accelerated aging indicator that pointed the way to selective screening.
I am sad to see rising numbers of early-onset cancer, especially gastrointestinal and breast ones.
I would love to have a tool for personalized screening strategies. Moreover, we could also advocate for lifestyle interventions.
Finally, we may someday have drugs (senolytics) that target and eliminate damaged and aging cells.
Thank you for reading “Accelerated Aging and Young Cancer Risk.”
