Is There a Link Between Age Acceleration and Breast Cancer Risk?
Posted: Thursday, April 11, 2019
According to research published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, there appears to be a statistically significant association between a woman’s biologic age, or age estimate based on DNA, and her risk for developing breast cancer.
“DNA methylation–based measures of biological age may be important predictors of breast cancer risk,” concluded Jack A. Taylor, MD, PhD, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, and colleagues.
The study included 2,764 women whose biologic ages were determined using 3 different DNA methylation–based clocks: Hannum, Horvine, and Levine. Age acceleration was calculated by comparing each participant’s chronologic and estimated biologic age.
An association between age acceleration and breast cancer development was shown by each of the three clocks (5-year age acceleration, Hannum’s clock: hazard ratio = 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.00–1.21, P = .04; Horvath’s clock: hazard ratio = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.00–1.17, P = .04; Levine’s clock: hazard ratio = 1.15, 95% CI = 1.07–1.23, P < .001). Levine’s clock showed that a woman’s breast cancer risk increases by 15% for every 5 years her biologic age is greater than her chronologic age. After an average of 6 years, 1,566 of the study participants had developed breast cancer.
Researchers noted that age acceleration is likely during menopausal transition, but premenopausal age acceleration is independently linked to breast cancer risk. In addition, a case analysis revealed that age acceleration is associated with invasive disease in women who develop breast cancer.
Disclosure: The study authors’ disclosure information may be found at academic.oup.com.
