Why Aging Affects Cancer Development

Cancer is much more prevalent among people that reach a certain age. There are several reasons for this, viruses, flawed cellular division and mutations being the most important.

• Viruses

Some tumors are partly caused by viruses. When the immune system of elderly people declines, a virus can strike more effectively. Some viruses intervene in the genetic make-up of a host cell. Subsequently, the virus uses this host cell to replicate itself. This is the mechanism of, for example, a rhinovirus, which makes sure that you don’t feel tiptop when you have a cold. Your immune system tries to fight the virus by producing more slime and causes the inflammation of tissues such as the throat and the facial cavities. But when a virus that causes cancer takes over, the host will rapidly produce more cells, and the immune system can do nothing against this. Even though the speed of the cellular division does not increase, the cells can no longer stop dividing. This is a process that can occur in both animals and plants.

• Flawed cellular division

Another factor that is related to the higher prevalence of cancer among older people is the fact that the cellular division no longer functions as fluently as it does in younger people. Normally, the cellular division is a process containing a whole cycle of growth and DNA duplication, growth and preparation for mitosis, mitosis and more growth. When people age, more and more cells no longer participate in this cycle. They ‘hang around’ until they are completely done functioning, but they no longer replicate and divide genetic material.

• Mutations

During life, a large number of small genetic changes can occur, of which you are completely unaware. A small mutation caused by an x-ray here, another small mutation caused by breathing polluted air there,… Some mutations are fixed, while others are unnoticeably embedded in the cellular material of the body. As time passes, more and more genetic changes occur, and the cells will no longer be able to fix it, which leads to a change in these cells. Because of this transformation, cells can start a cycle of unlimited division and growth, which leads to a large cell mass called a tumor. When these abnormal cells grow ever more numerous, the weakened immune system of older people can no longer control this neoplastic growth (formation of new tissue), which in turn can lead to the spreading of tumors and a progressive decline in overall health.