Cancer rates higher in young adults due to ‘accelerated aging,’ study says
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — Younger generations are at a higher risk of getting diagnosed with cancer because they appear to be aging faster. That’s according to new research presented at the San Diego Convention Center last week.
At the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting this week in San Diego, researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. said cancer is becoming increasingly common among young adults in the U.S. and around the world.
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They looked at whether increased biological age leads to the development of early onset cancer, which is diagnosed in adults younger than 55.
According to Ruiyi Tian, a graduate student and one of the study’s researchers, biological age may be influenced by diet, mental health, physical activity and other factors. Unlike chronological age, biological age can be modified, she said.
Tian and her colleagues looked at the data of nearly 150,000 individuals in the U.K. Biobank database and calculated their biological ages using test results from their blood. They found that people born in or after 1965 had a 17% higher likelihood of accelerated aging than those born between 1950 and 1954.
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They also found that those with an older biological age had a 42% increased risk of early onset lung cancer, 22% increased risk of early onset gastrointestinal cancer and 36% increased risk of early onset uterine cancer.
However, a more diverse pool of participants is needed to further understand the correlation between biological age and cancer risk, Tian said.
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