Scientists have found a link between accelerated biological age and colon cancer risk.
New research suggests that biological age — a measure
of the body’s physiological state — could predict who is at higher risk for
developing colon polyps, a key risk factor for colorectal cancer.
For every extra year a person’s body aged faster than
normal, their risk of developing colon polyps went up by 16%, according to the
study.
Researchers at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer
Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine say that
individuals experiencing accelerated aging may benefit from earlier screenings.
Unlike your actual age, which is simply the number of
years you’ve been alive, your biological age shows how well (or poorly) your
body is functioning.
It’s affected by things like your genes, how you live
(eating, exercise, sleep), and your environment (like stress or pollution).
In this new study, published in Cancer Prevention
Research, researchers used advanced DNA analysis to determine biological age.
The researchers found that accelerated aging occurs
when biological age exceeds chronological age.
For example, someone who is 50 years old but has a
biological age of 55 might notice their body isn’t working as well as it
should.
While this idea might sound a bit abstract, past
research has shown that aging faster than normal can increase the chances of
serious health issues, like a higher risk of dying or developing cancers.
This study adds to the growing field of epigenetics,
which looks at how our cells gradually lose their ability to function over
time.
Corresponding author Shria Kumar, MD, MSCE,
gastroenterologist and clinical epidemiologist at the Sylvester Comprehensive
Cancer Center, explained the findings of this new study to Medical News Today.
Biological vs. chronological age
“Biological aging, which is a measure of your body’s
age based on changes in DNA, is different than chronological age (simply the
number of years since birth). It is thought to be more precise in reflecting
our body’s true ‘age’ and has been studied as a marker of time to death and
been shown to impact risk of developing certain cancers. Its role in cancer
prevention is less clear, but here, we find promising associations in its risk
with precancerous polyps in persons under age 50.” — Shria Kumar, MD, MSCE
Early-onset colorectal cancer rates rising
Colorectal cancer rates among individuals under 50,
referred to as early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), have been steadily
increasing.
According to the American Cancer Society, these rates
have risen by 2% annually. since 2011.
“Early onset colorectal cancer (colon cancer in
persons under age 50) is on the rise, but in absolute numbers, the risk is low.
So there are a lot of people at risk, but very few will develop EOCRC,” Kumar
said.
“What we then need is a risk-stratified approach to
identify who is at the highest risk. Those people should then undergo
colonoscopy, in which we can resect precancerous polyps and thereby PREVENT
EOCRC,” Kumar explained.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recently
lowered its recommended starting age from 50 to 45.
However, this adjustment may not fully address the
problem, as data from the National Cancer Institute show that nearly half of
early-onset colorectal cancers. occur in individuals younger than 45.
“While ideal, we don’t presently understand enough
about EOCRC risk to create such an approach. If [these findings are] validated
on a larger scale, incorporating biological age into a risk calculator can help
us identify which persons under age 50 are at highest risk of EOCRC.” — Shria
Kumar
“Those people can then undergo colonoscopy, even if
they are not yet 45 (the present age of screening initiation). While you may
say well, you start at age 45 anyways, the median age of EOCRC diagnosis is 44
— so clearly, we have a lot to do as people will be diagnosed with cancer
before being eligible for screening!” Kumar said.
“Our work sets the stage for what could be a promising
risk-stratification approach to tackle EOCRC,” she added.
Colorectal cancer screening options include at-home
stool-sample tests, which are more convenient for patients.
Despite these alternatives, colonoscopy remains the
most effective method. This outpatient procedure, performed under sedation,
allows doctors to identify and remove polyps — soft tissue growths that can
develop into cancer.
Since polyps affect roughly 20% to 30% of adults,
removing them during colonoscopy is a vital step in preventing colorectal
cancer.
Researchers noted that colonoscopy is unique because
it provides both early detection and cancer prevention in a single procedure.
What’s the link between biological age and polyps?
Risk factors for early-onset colorectal cancer, such
as obesity, smoking, alcohol use, and certain lifestyle habits, are also
associated with accelerated biological aging.
To study this link, the researchers examined people
younger than age 50 who had colonoscopies. They used advanced DNA tests on
blood samples to figure out each person’s biological age and compared it to
their colonoscopy results.
They discovered that for every extra year a person’s
body aged faster than normal, the risk of developing colon polyps went up by
16%.
Surprisingly, common risk factors like body weight and
smoking didn’t have a strong link to polyp development. Instead, gender was the
greatest factor, with men being more likely to develop pre-cancerous polyps.
The researchers emphasized the need to better
understand why gender has such an impact on polyp risk and to continue studying
biological age as a helpful health predictor.
Making colonoscopies more effective
The study suggests that colorectal cancer screening
could be more effective by focusing on people whose bodies are aging faster
than normal.
By giving high-risk individuals priority for
colonoscopies, doctors could catch and prevent cancers early.
However, researchers say larger studies are needed to
understand better the connection between biological age, actual age, and cancer
risk.
These findings may suggest that biological age
provides important health information that could change how we prevent cancer
in the future.
Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS, surgical
oncologist, chief of medicine and Director of the Gastrointestinal and
Hepatobiliary Program at Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa
Monica, CA, who was not involved in this research, said, “There is a massive
increase in young patients being diagnosed with colon cancer.”
“While studies suggest that there are several risk
factors such as obesity, processed food, and physical inactivity, the cause,
particularly in young patients without known risk factors, is unknown. This
provocative study demonstrates that biological age, which can be evaluated by a
blood test, is associated with a higher incidence of precancerous colon
polyps.” — Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, MBA, FACS
“While this is a small sample size, these findings
could have major consequences in terms of colon cancer prevention while at the
same time provide some insight into the increase in colon cancer among young
adults,” Bilchik said.
“Further validation studies are needed, however,
before the clinical value can be fully determined,” he added.
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