Is accelerated biological ageing behind the rise in early-onset cancers?
Why are people in their 30s and 40s increasingly being diagnosed with cancers once considered diseases of older age? A new study published in Nature Medicine has found that people whose bodies show signs of faster biological ageing may be more likely to develop cancer earlier in life.
Tackling the early-onset cancers challenge
Scientists from the PROSPECT team, funded by Cancer Grand Challenges – a global research initiative founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US – analyzed blood samples and health information from more than 164,000 people from the UK and US, comparing people born across different decades. The findings showed that younger generations may be experiencing faster biological ageing than previous generations.
People whose bodies appeared biologically older than their actual age had a higher risk of developing cancers before the age of 55, including lung, gastrointestinal and uterine cancers, but the findings do not prove that faster biological ageing directly causes cancer.
Co-team lead of PROSPECT and associate professor of surgery and of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis (MO, USA), Dr Yin Cao, said: “Biological ageing isn’t just about the number of birthdays you’ve had — it reflects wear and tear happening inside the body at a cellular and molecular level. This can include changes that affect how cells and tissues function, such as chronic inflammation, weakening of the immune system and damage building up in cells over time.”
“Our findings suggest that some younger adults may be experiencing these biological changes earlier than expected, and that this could be linked to the rising rates of cancers seen in younger generations. Through Team PROSPECT, we are using systems thinking to understand how environmental, lifestyle and societal factors across the life course may become biologically embedded in the body and contribute to these changes.”
How researchers measured biological age
Biological age differs from chronological age and reflects how well the body is functioning and can be influenced by factors such as diet, exercise, environment and overall health.
To assess biological age, researchers used information from blood samples and other health data to estimate whether a person’s body appeared “older” or “younger” than expected for their age. They used an established algorithm called PhenoAge, which combines nine routine blood test results that reflect things like blood sugar control, inflammation and immune system function. This approach revealed differences between generations.
For example, people born between 1965 and 1974 showed around a 23% higher level of accelerated biological ageing compared to those born in the early 1950s.
Findings also showed possible links between ageing in different parts of the body and certain cancer types. For example, ageing in the immune system appeared to be associated with lung cancer risk, while ageing in fat tissue was associated with bowel cancer risk.
Piecing together the bigger picture
Director of Cancer Grand Challenges, Dr David Scott, said: “Right now, we don’t have a definitive answer to what’s driving the rise of early-onset cancers around the world, but studies like this are helping us piece together the bigger picture, showing that cancer may be influenced not just by changes inside individual cells, but by wider changes happening across the body as a whole.”
“These findings suggest that accelerated biological ageing could reflect the combined impact of our lifestyles and environments on the body over time, potentially helping explain why some cancers are appearing earlier in younger generations.”
“Research on this scale is only possible through Cancer Grand Challenges, which brings together scientists from different fields around the world to tackle these complex questions together.”
The research may help shed light on the rising incidence of early-onset cancers, which affect adults under 49 and more recently also include those aged 50-54 as these birth cohorts grow older.
Globally and in the UK, there is a small rise in these cancers; however, cancer remains primarily a disease of older age, with most cases still diagnosed in people aged 50 and over.
Early-onset cancers are thought to be driven by a complex mix of lifestyle, environmental and biological factors, and their underlying causes are not yet fully understood.
Tackling the rise in early onset cancer: From research to health equity
Listen to this podcast episode to find out about contributing factors for early onset cancers and how certain groups are disproportionately affected.
Researchers behind the new study stressed that the findings do not prove that faster biological ageing directly causes cancer. More research is needed to understand what may be driving these biological changes in younger generations and whether they could eventually help identify people at higher risk of cancer earlier in life.
Lead patient advocate for PROSPECT and NHS GP, Dr Anisha Patel, said: “As an early-onset colorectal cancer survivor, I know one of the hardest questions is simply ‘why did this happen to me?’. These findings provide an important clue to the puzzle and offer new insight into the biological ageing of fat cells that may be contributing to rising cancer rates in younger adults. Further studies are needed. While there is still much we don’t understand, research like this brings us closer to identifying who may be at greater risk and, ultimately, how we can prevent more people from facing a cancer diagnosis at a younger age.”
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