We know that as we age, our risk of developing cancer increases. Sadly, many of us will have experienced losing an older relative or loved one to cancer at some point in our lives. Despite this, scientists haven’t always fully understood why ageing can lead to cancer. But now researchers funded by Worldwide Cancer Research have uncovered a link between inflammation and ageing that could finally answer this vital question.
Why are we more likely to get cancer as we age?
Ageing itself is the most significant risk factor for cancer as a whole. In fact, according to a recent study, 64-65% of new cases of cancer and over 70% of cancer deaths globally occurred in individuals aged 60 and older.
As we grow older our bodies are exposed to more internal and external cancer risks. Inside our bodies our cells are constantly growing and changing, so the longer we live, the more time there is for mutations to build up and potentially cause cancer.
We also know that lifestyle factors can increase cancer risk. In our lives we can be exposed to things we know increase our cancer risk, such as alcohol, smoking and poor diet.
Combined with the natural wear and tear of aging, your body can find it more difficult to repair any damaged DNA which makes it more likely that cancer will develop.
A lot of people hear stories of quite young people getting cancer, but that's quite unusual. The majority of people who develop cancer are over the age of 50, and 70% of people who die from cancer are over the age of 65. Obviously not everybody who gets older gets cancer, and that is one of the things that we really have to understand a lot better.
Can you lower your risk of cancer as you age?
One of the biggest questions in cancer research has always been, what can we do to lower our risk of developing cancer?
We know that making proactive changes to your daily habits can be one of the best ways to lower your general cancer risk. Stopping or avoiding smoking, protecting your skin in the sun, and maintaining a healthy weight are all ways that you can help protect yourself from cancer.
But unfortunately, 1 in 2 people born in the UK will still experience a cancer diagnosis at some point in their lifetime.
There are still many unsolved mysteries about how ageing can cause cancer and, crucially, more research is needed to answer these questions and help stop cancer in its tracks.
Research like Professor Lesley Stark’s, whose team applied for funding to investigate the link between cancer and ageing, right on our doorstep in Edinburgh.
We first funded Lesley's work in 2002, so she has dedicated decades to unlocking cancer's biggest mysteries.
Alongside her incredible research career, Lesley has been a true Curestarter - by all meanings of the word - making regular donations and even taking part in a gruelling cycle through the Moroccan Atlas Mountains, raising over £2000 to help us fund more much-needed research like hers.
And, like far too many of us, Lesley has also faced her own cancer diagnosis. Thankfully it was caught early and treated successfully, but her experience highlights the brutal reality of the disease - that nobody is immune, and that includes the people working tirelessly to end it.
It is an absolute privilege to work with researchers like Lesley and to fund their ground-breaking ideas to drive progress forward. Earlier this year, our team had the chance to visit Lesley's lab to see first-hand the research that our supporters make possible.
Watch our video to join us behind the scenes of the big breakthroughs, at a working cancer research lab:
What breakthrough was made?
Lesley and her team have been investigating how structural changes in our cells that happen naturally as we age, can affect cancer growth. Think about it like this - in everyday life when your usual routine is disrupted, things pile up and it becomes easier for important things to slip through the cracks.
Take your email inbox. If you signed up to a very persistent advertiser, you might receive thousands of emails every day. It would quickly get overwhelming, and might even have a direct impact on your day-to-day life. Perhaps you'd miss important messages, or even bills that you had to pay. It's the same for proteins in our cells, imbalances can completely throw off normal function.
The team discovered an imbalance in two proteins in our cells that occurs as we age, and this disruption can create inflammation in our cells, one of the key factors of cancer growth. Now that this direct link has been discovered, the team are looking at the possibility of trying to regulate these proteins - something that could open new therapeutic avenues towards controlling this inflammation as we age.
What could this breakthrough mean for cancer patients?
When we understand more about exactly why cancer happens, we can also understand more about how to stop it before it even starts. This breakthrough could help researchers figure out how to prevent age-related cancer from ever developing.
Imagine a world where simply ageing doesn't put you at further risk of a cancer diagnosis, and more of our loved ones get to live longer, happier lives.
Funding more research like this to understand the causes of cancer and why it might form at the earliest of stages is crucial - and it's only possible with your support.
Join our united effort to stop cancer.
There are so many different ways to support our search for new cures. Will you join the 90,000+ Curestarters who are already helping us get closer to a day when no life is cut short by cancer?