Washington University Researchers Uses Medical Laboratory Test Results and Big Data to Find Accelerated Aging and Risk of Early Cancer in Young Adults
Study shows that computer analysis of clinical laboratory test results has improved greatly in recent years
Studies using “big data” continue to show how combining different types of healthcare information can generate insights not available with smaller datasets. In this case, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine (WashU Medicine), St. Louis, Mo., determined that—by using the results from nine different types of clinical laboratory tests—they could correlate those test results to younger people who had “aged faster” and had developed cancer earlier than usual, according to CNN.
“Accumulating evidence suggests that the younger generations may be aging more swiftly than anticipated, likely due to earlier exposure to various risk factors and environmental insults. However, the impact of accelerated aging on early-onset cancer development remains unclear,” said Ruiyi Tian, PhD candidate at WashU Medicine’s Yin Cao Lab in an American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) news release.
The scientists presented their findings, which have not yet been published, at the AACR’s annual meeting held in April. Tian and the other researchers “hypothesized that increased biological age, indicative of accelerated aging, may contribute to the development of early-onset cancers, often defined as cancers diagnosed in adults younger than 55 years. In contrast to chronological age—which measures how long a person has been alive—biological age refers to the condition of a person’s body and physiological processes and is considered modifiable,” AACR noted in a news release.
“We all know cancer is an aging disease. However, it is really coming to a younger population. So, whether we can use the well-developed concept of biological aging to apply that to the younger generation is a really untouched area,” Yin Cao, ScD MPH (above), associate professor of surgery and associate professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and senior author of the study, told CNN. Analysis of clinical laboratory test results using computer algorithms continues to show value for new research into deadly diseases. (Photo copyright: Washington University.)
Lab Tests Share Insights about Aging
To acquire the data they needed for their research, the WashU Medicine scientists turned to the UK Biobank, a biomedical and research resource with genetic and health information on half a million UK residents.
The researchers reviewed the medical records of 148,724 biobank participants, age 37 to 54, focusing on nine blood-based biomarkers that “have been shown to correlate with biological age,” CNN reported. Those biomarkers are:
- Albumin: “declines with age.”
- Creatinine: “lower levels correlate with better longevity.”
- Glucose: with age, “stays higher for longer after meals.”
- C-reactive protein: at “relatively higher levels correspond to faster aging.”
- Lymphocyte: “tends to decrease with age.”
- Mean cell volume: “increases with age.”
- Red cell distribution width: “tends to increase with age.”
- Alkaline phosphatase: “tends to increase with age.”
- White blood cells: counts in “the high end of the normal range” may relate to “greater age.”
According to CNN, the researchers “plugged” the nine values into an algorithm called PhenoAge. Using the algorithm they compared the biological ages with each person’s actual chronological age to determine “accelerated aging.” They then consulted cancer registries to capture data on those in the study who were diagnosed with cancer before age 55. They found 3,200 cases.
Young Adults Aging Faster than Earlier Generations
According to the AACR news release, the WashU Medicine study found that:
- “Individuals born in or after 1965 had a 17% higher likelihood of accelerated aging than those born between 1950 and 1954.
- “Each standard deviation increase in accelerated aging was associated with a 42% increased risk of early-onset lung cancer, a 22% increased risk of early-onset gastrointestinal cancer, and a 36% increased risk of early-onset uterine cancer.
- “Accelerated aging did not significantly impact the risk of late-onset lung cancer (defined here as cancer diagnosed after age 55), but it was associated with a 16% and 23% increased risk of late-onset gastrointestinal and uterine cancers, respectively.”
“We speculate that common pathways, such as chronic inflammation and cellular senescence, may link accelerated aging to the development of early-onset cancers,” the study’s principal investigator Yin Cao, ScD, MPH, associate professor of surgery and associate professor of medicine at WashU Medicine, told The Hill.
“Historically, both cancer and aging have been viewed primarily as concerns for older populations. The realization that cancer, and now aging, are becoming significant issues for younger demographics over the past decades was unexpected,” Tian told Fox News.
More Screenings, Further Analysis
The study’s results may suggest a change in clinical laboratory screenings for younger people.
“We see cancers earlier all the time now, and nobody knows why. The subset in the population that has accelerated aging may need screening more often or earlier,” Emanuela Taioli, MD, PhD, professor of population health and science and of thoracic surgery, and director of the Institute for Translational Epidemiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, told Health.
In future studies, WashU Medicine scientists may aim to include groups of greater diversity and explore why people are aging faster and have risk of early-onset cancers.
“There is room to improve using better technologies. Looking at the bigger picture, the aging concept can be applied to younger people to include cancers, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes,” Cao told Discover Magazine.
While more research is needed, use of the UK’s Biobank of healthcare data—including clinical laboratory test results—enabled the WashU Medicine researchers to determine that accelerated aging among young adults is happening with some regularity. This shows that capabilities in computer analysis are gaining more refined capabilities and are able to tease out insights impossible to achieve with earlier generations of analytical software.
These findings should inspire clinical laboratory professionals and pathologists to look for opportunities to collaborate in healthcare big data projects involving their patients and the communities they serve.
—Donna Marie Pocius
Related Information:
Accelerated Aging May Increase the Risk of Early-onset Cancers in Younger Generations
Accelerated Aging Linked to Cancer Risk in Younger Adults, Research Shows
An Epigenetic Biomarker of Aging for Lifespan and Health Span in Aging
Accelerated Aging May be a Cause of Increased Cancers in People under 55
Cancer Rates Rising in Young People Due to “Accelerated Aging,” New Study Finds
Research Shows Accelerated Aging Linked to Increased Cancer Risk in Younger Adults
Rate of Biological Aging is Accelerating in Young People, Leading to Medical Issues
