Ageing and cancer: a research gap to fill

Abstract

The complex mechanisms of ageing biology are increasingly understood. Interventions to reduce or delay ageing-associated diseases are emerging. Cancer is one of the diseases promoted by tissue ageing. A clockwise mutational signature is identified in many tumours. Ageing might be a modifiable cancer risk factor. To reduce the incidence of ageing-related cancer and to detect the disease at earlier stages, we need to understand better the links between ageing and tumours. When a cancer is established, geriatric assessment and measures of biological age might help to generate evidencebased therapeutic recommendations. In this approach, patients and caregivers would include the respective weight to give to the quality of life and survival in the therapeutic choices. The increasing burden of cancer in older patients requires new generations of researchers and geriatric oncologists to be trained, to properly address disease complexity in a multidisciplinary manner, and to reduce health inequities in this population of patients. In this review, we propose a series of research challenges to tackle in the next few years to better prevent, detect and treat cancer in older patients while preserving their quality of life.

Engaging European society at the forefront of cancer research and care

“…There are almost 4 million new patients and over 1.9 million deaths annually in Europe, with cancer accounting for 25% of deaths in Europe [ 1 ]. Population ageing is the main factor contributing to the increase in cancer incidence and mortality, impacting on society and healthcare [ 2 ]. Importantly, with new, more effective treatment modalities, cancer survivors have increased to nearly 20 million in Europe [ 3 ].…”

Identification of Some Glutamic Acid Derivatives with Biological Potential by Computational Methods

“…Throughout history, cancer has been a major health problem. It has been shown that there is a positive correlation between cancer incidence and age [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]. The individual risk of cancer is also influenced by family history, genetic susceptibility or behaviour, and exposure to carcinogenic factors [ 4 ].…”