Metabolic syndrome, aging, and cancer

Older patients present with an average of three comorbidities beside their cancer. One of the most frequent age-associated comorbidities is the metabolic syndrome. In the USA, its prevalence is greater than 40% in subjects above the age of 60. The metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of cancer across multiple tumor types. It also worsens the prognosis of those cancers, increasing both their relapse and death rates. In this review, we assess the possible mediating mechanisms of this association. The evidence points toward a key role of hyperinsulinemia itself, and notably its impact on metabolic/proliferation pathways involving mTOR. We will review current therapeutic trials that are specifically targeting these pathways, and draw some parallels with the use of some of these same agents in animal aging studies.