Development, cancer and aging: possible common mechanisms of action and regulation

The incidence of most types of cancer intensifies throughout an animal's life span. This correlation of cancer incidence with age raises the question of a possible causative link. Over the past few years there has been a rapid increase in our knowledge of genetic mechanisms of cancer initiation and propagation. In view of these advances, a reevaluation of the links between aging and cancer appears appropriate. This article attempts such a reevaluation and concludes that there is indeed much evidence indicating common causes of cancer and aging. This conclusion is primarily based on the positive correlation between aging rate of different species with their cancer rate and that both cancer and aging may be initiated and propagated by impairments of gene regulation driven by destabilizing processes affecting regulatory elements. Reduction of cancer incidence and aging rate would then be based on enhancing common mechanism acting to maintain proper gene regulation of differentiated cells.