Developing targeted interventions and personalized treatment approach that consider the unique biological and environmental factors associated with aging.
As the global population ages, the incidence of cancer in older adults is on the rise. Despite advances in medical science and technology, older individuals often experience worse outcomes when diagnosed with cancer. To subscribe please click tau.id/2iy6f and access our live channel.
ALSO READ: Earth-sized planet discovered in galaxy
A recent study conducted by researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) delves into the intricate factors contributing to this phenomenon, shedding light on the biological and environmental aspects that make cancer treatment more challenging for older adults.
Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, have found that cancer cells can spread more easily in tissues that are senescent or aged, a finding that may explain worse outcomes in the elderly patients than the young.
In the study, published in Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, the team explained that the aged tissues secrete a unique protein called extracellular matrix, the base on which the cells adhere and grow, which lure the cancer cells.
To understand, the scientists used a chemotherapy-induced senescent model. They first extracted tissues found in the lining of body cavities from mice models and exposed half of these tissues to chemotherapeutics that are used to treat cancer, pushing them to senescence, a state in which the cells stop replicating but don’t die.
The team then exposed both young and aged mouse tissues and human tissue-like cell sheets to ovarian cancer cells. Ovarian cancer is dangerous because it often goes undetected until it has spread beyond the ovaries, and the symptoms can also be attributed to other conditions.
Scientists believe that ageing can increase the spread of ovarian and other cancers, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully clear. Further experiments on human cell lines revealed that the cancer cells stuck strongly to the ECM around the aged cells, and eventually cleared the aged cells away.
