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Li D, Ju F, Wang H, Fan C, Jacob JC, Gul S, Zaliani A, Wartmann T, Polidori MC, Bruns CJ, Zhao Y. Combination of the biomarkers for aging and cancer? - Challenges and current status. Transl Oncol 2023; 38:101783. [PMID: 37716258 PMCID: PMC10514562 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2023.101783] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
The proportion of patients diagnosed with cancer has been shown to rise with the increasing aging global population. Advanced age is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality in older adults. As individuals experience varying health statuses, particularly with age, it poses a challenge for medical professionals in the cancer field to obtain standardized treatment outcomes. Hence, relying solely on chronological age and disease-related parameters is inadequate for clinical decision-making for elderly patients. With functional, multimorbidity-related, and psychosocial changes that occur with aging, oncologic diseases may develop and be treated differently from younger patients, leading to unique challenges in treatment efficacy and tolerance. To overcome this challenge, personalized therapy using biomarkers has emerged as a promising solution. Various categories of biomarkers, including inflammatory, hematological, metabolic, endocrine, and DNA modification-related indicators, may display features related to both cancer and aging, aiding in the development of innovative therapeutic approaches for patients with cancer in old age. Furthermore, physical functional measurements as non-molecular phenotypic biomarkers are being investigated for their potential complementary role in structured multidomain strategies to combat age-related diseases such as cancer. This review provides insight into the current developments, recent discoveries, and significant challenges in cancer and aging biomarkers, with a specific focus on their application in advanced age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dai Li
- Department of General, Visceral, Tumor and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; Department of Anesthesiology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Feng Ju
- Department of General, Visceral, Tumor and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany
| | - Han Wang
- Department of Anesthesiology, Changhai Hospital, Naval Medical University, Shanghai, China
| | - Chunfu Fan
- Medical faculty, University of Cologne, Germany
| | | | - Sheraz Gul
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, Schnackenburgallee 114, d-22525 Hamburg, Germany; Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, Hamburg Site, Schnackenburgallee 114, d-22525 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Andrea Zaliani
- Fraunhofer Institute for Translational Medicine and Pharmacology, Schnackenburgallee 114, d-22525 Hamburg, Germany; Fraunhofer Cluster of Excellence Immune-Mediated Diseases CIMD, Hamburg Site, Schnackenburgallee 114, d-22525 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Wartmann
- Department of General, Visceral und Vascular Surgery, Otto von Guericke University, Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, Magdeburg, 39120, Germany
| | - Maria Cristina Polidori
- Ageing Clinical Research, Department II of Internal Medicine and Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, University of Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Cologne Excellence Cluster on Cellular Stress-Responses in Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), University of Cologne, Cologne Germany
| | - Christiane J Bruns
- Department of General, Visceral, Tumor and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany; Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Aachen, Bonn, Cologne and Düsseldorf, Cologne, Germany
| | - Yue Zhao
- Department of General, Visceral, Tumor and Transplantation Surgery, University Hospital of Cologne, Kerpener Straße 62, 50937 Cologne, Germany.
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Abstract
Adrenarche, the post-natal rise of DHEA and DHEAS, is unique to humans and the African Apes. Recent findings have linked DHEA in humans to the development of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (LDPFC) between the ages of 4-8 years and the right temporoparietal junction (rTPJ) from 7 to 12 years of age. Given the association of the LDLPFC with the 5-to-8 transition and the rTPJ with mentalizing during middle childhood DHEA may have played an important role in the evolution of the human brain. I argue that increasing protein in the diet over the course of human evolution not only increased levels of DHEAS, but linked meat consumption with brain development during the important 5- to-8 transition. Consumption of animal protein has been associated with IGF-1, implicated in the development of the adrenal zona reticularis (ZR), the site of DHEAS production. In humans and chimps, the zona reticularis emerges at 3-4 years, along with the onset of DHEA/S production. For chimps this coincides with weaning and peak synaptogenesis. Among humans, weaning is completed around 2 ½ years, while synaptogenesis peaks around 5 years. Thus, in chimpanzees, early cortical maturation is tied to the mother; in humans it may be associated with post-weaning provisioning by others. I call for further research on adrenarche among the African apes as a critical comparison to humans. I also suggest research in subsistence populations to establish the role of nutrition and energetics in the timing of adrenarche and the onset of middle childhood.
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