Some data suggest that adjuvant chemotherapy may cause an aging effect.
“What are the long-term side effects of chemotherapy?” That is a frequent question from patients preparing to embark on a course of adjuvant therapy. Depending on the regimen of chemotherapy chosen, potential long-term adverse effects include premature menopause, cognitive impairment, cardiovascular and neuromuscular toxicity, and secondary malignancies. Now, two groups of investigators have studied whether premature aging is also a possible effect.
Sanoff and colleagues cite evidence that adjuvant therapy may confer effects consistent with molecular aging of 10 to 15 years in breast cancer patients. Cellular senescence has been associated with activation of INK4/ARF locus on chromosome 9p21.3, which codes for the tumor-suppressor proteins p…
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardLilly; AstraZeneca; Gilead
Grant/Research SupportBreast Cancer Research Foundation
Editorial BoardsClinical Breast Cancer; Oncology; Annals of Surgery; Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNational Comprehensive Cancer Network (Chair, Breast Cancer Panel); American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology Board)
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardLilly; AstraZeneca; Gilead
Grant/Research SupportBreast Cancer Research Foundation
Editorial BoardsClinical Breast Cancer; Oncology; Annals of Surgery; Breast Cancer Research and Treatment
Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesNational Comprehensive Cancer Network (Chair, Breast Cancer Panel); American Board of Internal Medicine (Medical Oncology Board)