A novel study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has tackled a critical question in cancer research: Why is aging the biggest risk factor for developing cancer? This study offers fresh insights into how an aging immune system promotes tumor growth, opening new doors for cancer prevention and treatment, especially in older adults. The findings were published on September 5 in Science.
The research team discovered that anakinra, a drug commonly used to treat inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis, can block harmful signals between early lung cancer lesions and the bone marrow. This connection is crucial because an aging immune system creates chronic inflammation, which drives cancer development. By blocking specific inflammatory pathways, particularly those involving IL-1⍺ and IL-1β molecules, the researchers were able to reverse this harmful process in preclinical mouse models, suggesting a new approach to preventing cancer in humans.
The study revealed that an aging immune system not only accelerates tumor growth but also weakens the body’s ability to fight cancer. However, the good news is that rejuvenating the immune system in mice significantly reduced cancer progression. This highlights the importance of addressing chronic inflammation related to aging to lower cancer risk in older adults.
The results not only pave the way for repurposing existing drugs like anakinra for cancer prevention but also suggest that enhancing the immune system through immunotherapy could be more effective than directly targeting tumors. Clinical trials are already underway to assess whether this approach can prevent cancer progression in high-risk patients.
Reference: Matthew D. Park, Jessica Le Berichel, Pauline Hamon, C. Matthias Wilk, Meriem Belabed, Nader Yatim, Alexis Saffon, Jesse Boumelha, Chiara Falcomatà, Alexander Tepper, Samarth Hegde, Raphaël Mattiuz, Brian Y. Soong, Nelson M. LaMarche, Frederika Rentzeperis, Leanna Troncoso, Laszlo Halasz, Clotilde Hennequin, Theodore Chin, Earnest P. Chen, Amanda M. Reid, Matthew Su, Ashley Reid Cahn, Laura L. Koekkoek, Nicholas Venturini, Shira Wood-Isenberg, Darwin D’souza, Rachel Chen, Travis Dawson, Kai Nie, Zhihong Chen, Seunghee Kim-Schulze, Maria Casanova-Acebes, Filip K. Swirski, Julian Downward, Nicolas Vabret, Brian D. Brown, Thomas U. Marron, Miriam Merad. (5 Sep 2024). Hematopoietic aging promotes cancer by fueling IL-1⍺–driven emergency myelopoiesis. Science (New York, N.Y.). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adn0327
