Breast Cancer Chemotherapy May Accelerate Biological Aging By Decades, Study Finds
New research from Georgetown University suggests aggressive breast cancer chemotherapy could speed up aging, potentially costing survivors 9+ years of health...
POLICY WIRE — Washington, D.C. — While chemotherapy remains a vital tool for increasing breast cancer survival, a new study indicates the treatment may trigger premature biological aging and elevate the risk of early mortality.
New modeling conducted by Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center suggests that patients subjected to the most potent chemotherapy drugs could lose more than nine years of healthy life due to these aging effects.
Researchers noted on Tuesday that the physical consequences of drug-induced aging might not become apparent until much later in a patient’s life.
Although chemotherapy is designed to eradicate malignant cells, it frequently causes collateral damage to healthy tissues throughout the body.
Swarnavo Sarkar, a researcher at the Institute for Cancer and Aging Research, explained that the treatment process impacts various aging systems by increasing the accumulation of senescent cells. These are damaged cells that cease dividing but remain resistant to cell death.
Sarkar further noted that these senescent cells release biological molecules that drive inflammation and tissue damage, leading to several associated diseases.
The study utilized years of public records to model the impact of chemotherapy on aging across 400 million women between the ages of 30 and 79.
The team also examined the link between chemotherapy and blood levels of the protein p16, which serves as a primary marker for senescent cells.
The university stated there is evidence suggesting that removing this specific protein could extend the lifespan of breast cancer survivors by reducing the count of senescent cells.
While further investigation is required to fully understand the mechanics of accelerated aging in these patients, scientists are exploring whether specific lifestyle adjustments or additional therapies could mitigate or reverse these effects to improve long-term survivor outcomes.
The researchers suggested that increased physical activity and the use of medications typically prescribed for other conditions might counteract the aging effects of chemotherapy.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)