Cancer Treatment Increases Biological Age

The established non-surgical forms of cancer treatment, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, induce cellular senescence via stress and damage to cells. The target for these harmful effects is the cancer, but other cells are also inevitably stressed to the point of entering a senescent state. An increased burden of senescent cells in tissues throughout the body is a feature of aging. These cells directly contribute to dysfunction of tissues and organs via secreted signals, the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP). When maintained over the long term, the SASP contributes to the onset and progression of age-related conditions. To the extent that a person suffers an increase in the burden of senescent cells, he or she becomes biologically older. In this context, it is well known that cancer survivors exhibit a lower life expectancy and increased risk of age-related disease. It is presently thought that senescent cells are likely the primary cause of this outcome. In the near future, we might expect to see that cancer treatments are followed by senolytic therapies to clear the excess of senescent cells produced the therapy. Given sufficiently efficient senolytics, this approach will likely eliminate the lasting consequences of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Women treated for breast cancer may age faster than cancer-free women Women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer have increased biological aging compared to women who remain free of breast cancer,...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Medicine, Biotech, Research Source Type: blogs