The research, published in Nature Communications, shows that adolescent and young adult cancer survivors exhibit accelerated aging at the cellular level and in brain function. The work was led by AnnaLynn Williams at the University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Institute, with Kevin Krull from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and it builds on data first shown in 2022 at the American Society of Hematology.
The study followed about 1,400 patients, all at least five years past treatment. Most had acute lymphoblastic leukemia or Hodgkin lymphoma. Investigators found faster biological aging regardless of the childhood treatment type, but chemotherapy appeared to speed aging fastest, likely because it can change DNA and damage tissue and cells.
Higher biological age often matched worse performance on tests of memory and attention. Williams noted the long-term stakes: “Young cancer survivors have many more decades of life to live,” and she described the situation as “kind of like a perfect storm.” Researchers are now testing lifestyle and other interventions to slow or reverse accelerated aging.
Difficult words
- adolescent — a young person between childhood and adulthood
- accelerate — to make something happen more quicklyaccelerated
- cellular — relating to the cells of a body
- survivor — a person who lives after a serious illnesssurvivors
- chemotherapy — treatment that uses strong cancer drugs
- biological — connected to the body and living processes
- intervention — an action to improve a health probleminterventions
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Discussion questions
- How could faster biological aging change a young survivor's daily life or future plans?
- What lifestyle changes do you think researchers might test to slow or reverse accelerated aging?
- Why is it important to follow patients many years after cancer treatment?
