Study links faster biological aging to rising cancer in younger adults

People born in more recent decades are biologically older than previous generations were at the same age, and this accelerated aging is linked to a higher risk of developing cancer before age 55, according to a study published Monday in Nature Medicine.American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)+1

The research, led by Ruiyi Tian at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, used data from the U.K. Biobank and proteomics-based organ aging clocks to examine how biological aging differs across birth cohorts and how those differences relate to early-onset cancer risk.sciencemediacentre.org+1

Generational Gap in Biological Age

The study found that people born between 1990 and 1999 showed systemic aging roughly 92% of one standard deviation higher than those born between 1965 and 1969, when measured at the same chronological age. This gap was associated with an 8% increased risk of early-onset solid cancers, including lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine cancers.nature

The findings build on preliminary results Tian presented at the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting in 2024, which used nine blood biomarkers and the PhenoAge algorithm to show that individuals born after 1965 had a 17% higher likelihood of accelerated aging compared to those born between 1950 and 1954. Each standard deviation increase in accelerated aging was then associated with a 42% increased risk of early-onset lung cancer, a 22% increased risk of early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, and a 36% increased risk of early-onset uterine cancer.EurekAlert!+1

Organ-Specific Aging and Cancer Links

The newly published study goes further by employing proteomics-based organ-specific aging clocks to identify which organs are aging fastest and how that relates to specific cancer types. Advanced immune system aging was tied to early-onset lung cancer, while accelerated fat tissue aging was linked to early-onset colorectal cancer.nature

"Unlike chronological age, biological age may be influenced by factors such as diet, physical activity, mental health, and environmental stressors," Tian said in a previous statement describing the research. "Accumulating evidence suggests that the younger generations may be aging more swiftly than anticipated, likely due to earlier exposure to various risk factors and environmental insults."American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)+1

Implications and Cautions

Experts responding to the study urged caution about drawing causal conclusions. "This study does not show that faster biological ageing directly causes cancer, but it provides a strong basis for further research," according to an expert reaction compiled by the Science Media Centre. Researchers said the findings could eventually help identify younger people at elevated cancer risk through blood-based aging assessments, potentially guiding earlier screening.sciencemediacentre.org

The work arrives amid growing global concern over rising cancer rates in adults under 50, a trend that the National Cancer Institute has flagged as an emerging public health priority through its Early-Onset Cancer Initiative.JAMA Network