Biological aging and generational shifts in early-onset cancer risk

The incidence of early-onset cancer is rising globally in recent generations. A study of 154,169 young adults from the UK Biobank found that biological aging measured by PhenoAge increased by 23 percent among those born in 1965–1974 compared to those born in 1950–1954. Biological aging was associated with higher risk of early-onset cancer, particularly lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine cancers. Using proteomic analysis, researchers found that immune system aging was linked to lung cancer and adipose tissue aging to colorectal cancer. A greater age gap, reflecting more advanced biological aging relative to chronological age, may be a factor increasing the risk of early-onset cancer.