Decoding Early-Onset Aging After Cancer: Hallmarks, Biomarkers, And Future Directions For Childhood And Young Adult Survivorship
While incredible progress has been made in treating cancer in children, adolescents, and young adults, allowing more individuals to survive, a new challenge has emerged: many survivors experience health issues much earlier in life that are usually seen in older adults. This phenomenon is often referred to as “early-onset aging.”
Scientists are discovering that the very treatments that save lives can also cause changes at a fundamental level within the body’s cells. These changes are like the wear and tear that naturally happens with age, but they occur at an accelerated pace. For instance, the protective caps on our chromosomes, called telomeres, can shorten faster, and cells can enter a state where they stop dividing but don’t die off, contributing to inflammation. Our genetic material can also become less stable, and the energy-producing parts of our cells, mitochondria, can become less efficient.
Researchers are now identifying “biological clocks” within our bodies, often based on changes to our DNA, that can measure this accelerated aging. These measurements are becoming crucial tools to understand who is most at risk.
The real-world impact for survivors can be significant, including a higher chance of developing conditions like heart disease, hormone problems, memory difficulties, and even new cancers, sometimes decades earlier than their peers. For example, some studies suggest that survivors might experience age-related diseases nearly two decades sooner than the general population.
Understanding these underlying biological changes is vital. It helps us identify survivors who need closer monitoring and allows us to explore new strategies, including lifestyle adjustments and targeted medical interventions, to slow down or even reverse these aging processes, ultimately improving the long-term health and quality of life for these remarkable individuals.
Source: link to paper