Cancer has long been considered a disease associated with ageing, as the risk of developing cancer increases with the accumulation of cellular damage over time. However, the growing incidence of early-onset cancers among younger adults has prompted researchers to investigate whether biological ageing is occurring more rapidly in recent generations. A new study led by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis suggests that younger generations are indeed experiencing accelerated biological ageing, which may contribute to rising cancer rates before the age of 55.
The researchers found that individuals born in more recent decades tend to have a greater gap between their biological age—the age reflected by the condition of their body—and their chronological age. This larger “age gap” was associated with an increased risk of developing early-onset cancers, providing evidence that accelerated ageing may help explain the rising cancer burden observed across successive generations.
The study also revealed that ageing within specific organs may influence the risk of particular cancers. An immune system that appeared biologically older than expected was linked to an increased risk of early-onset lung cancer, while accelerated ageing of adipose (fat) tissue was associated with a higher risk of early-onset colorectal cancer. These findings suggest that ageing processes affecting different organ systems may contribute to distinct cancer types.
Published in Nature Medicine, the study highlights the potential value of biological ageing measures in identifying individuals at elevated cancer risk before symptoms appear. Such measures could eventually support more personalised approaches to cancer prevention, screening, and early detection by identifying those most likely to benefit from targeted interventions.
Led by molecular epidemiologist Dr Yin Cao, the research builds on previous work identifying lifestyle and environmental factors—including obesity, metabolic dysfunction, poor diet, alcohol use, sedentary behaviour, and other exposures—that influence cancer risk throughout life. Rather than examining these factors individually, the researchers sought to understand how their combined effects may accelerate biological ageing and increase susceptibility to cancer.
To investigate this relationship, the team analysed data from more than 154,000 participants in the UK Biobank and over 10,000 individuals enrolled in the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s All of Us Research Program. Biological ageing was assessed using established clinical biomarkers, metabolic indicators, and blood protein profiles that estimate ageing across the whole body and within individual organs. Younger birth cohorts consistently showed older biological profiles than older cohorts of the same chronological age.
The researchers found that accelerated systemic ageing was associated with an 8% higher risk of developing early-onset solid cancers, particularly lung, gastrointestinal, and uterine cancers. Participants with the highest levels of biological ageing had a 15% greater risk of early-onset solid cancers than those with the lowest levels, even after accounting for inherited genetic risk factors and genetic susceptibility to accelerated ageing. These findings strengthen the evidence that biological ageing plays an important role in cancer development beyond genetics alone.
Although the precise causes of accelerated biological ageing remain unclear, researchers believe modern environmental, lifestyle, and societal changes may collectively leave lasting biological effects that increase cancer susceptibility. Ongoing international collaborations, including Cancer Grand Challenges Team PROSPECT, aim to uncover how these influences accumulate across the life course. Ultimately, the goal is to identify individuals at greatest risk earlier and develop personalised prevention strategies that shift cancer care from treating disease after it develops to preventing it before it begins.
More information: Ruiyi Tian et al, Biological aging and generational shifts in early-onset cancer risk, Nature Medicine. DOI: 10.1038/s41591-026-04448-w
Journal information: Nature Medicine Provided by WashU Medicine
