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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
10:27
Testing Targeted Therapies in Cancer using Structural DNA Alteration Analysis and Patient-Derived Xenografts
Published on: July 25, 2020
Decoding the tumor-aging axis: from bench to clinical
Yuxin Wang1,2, Guitong Lv3, Xinyue Gao2
1School of Pharmacy and Bioengineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing, China.
Frontiers in Immunology
|July 25, 2026
Summary
Aging significantly increases cancer risk by altering tissue homeostasis and immune function. This bidirectional relationship accelerates aging, highlighting the need for interventions targeting the tumor-aging axis.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology and Oncology
- Molecular Biology
- Immunology
Background:
- Population aging is a primary risk factor for cancer.
- Aging impacts multiple biological dimensions, creating a pro-tumorigenic environment.
- Cancer progression can reciprocally accelerate organismal aging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review the mechanistic, clinical, and translational evidence defining the tumor-aging axis.
- To elucidate the bidirectional relationship between aging and cancer.
- To discuss emerging strategies for interrupting this pathogenic cycle.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of mechanistic evidence.
- Review of clinical data.
- Analysis of translational research.
Main Results:
- Aging reshapes tissue homeostasis (genetic, epigenetic, metabolic, immune) creating a tumor-permissive landscape.
- Senescence and SASP promote immune suppression and weaken tumor surveillance.
- Cancer accelerates aging through stem cell niche disruption and metabolic dysregulation.
Conclusions:
- Aging and cancer form a self-reinforcing network, not a linear cause-effect relationship.
- Understanding the tumor-aging axis is crucial for developing novel therapeutic strategies.
- Interventions targeting this axis hold promise for combating age-related cancers.
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