The aging tumor metabolic microenvironment

• Published in: Current opinion in biotechnology 2023-12, Vol.84, p.102995-102995, Article 102995
• Main Authors: Pilley, Steven E, Esparza, Edgar, Mullen, Peter J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Humans; Neoplasms - therapy; Tumor Microenvironment
• ISSN: 0958-1669; 1879-0429
• DOI: 10.1016/j.copbio.2023.102995

Despite the higher incidence of cancer with increasing age, few preclinical or clinical studies incorporate age. This, coupled with an aging world population, requires that we improve our understanding of how aging affects cancer development, progression, and treatment. One key area will be how the tumor microenvironment (TME) changes with age. Metabolite levels are an essential component of the TME, and they are affected by the metabolic requirements of the cells present and systemic metabolite availability. These factors are affected by aging, causing different TME metabolic states between young and older adults. In this review, we will summarize what is known about how aging impacts the TME metabolic state, and suggest how we can improve our understanding of it. •There are similarities in metabolic dysregulation between aging and cancer.•Circulating metabolite levels can change with age and can affect cancer progression.•Aged-induced immune and stromal dysregulation can induce a pro-tumorigenic TME.•It is poorly understood how age affects metabolic pathways in different organs.•Preclinical and clinical studies need to incorporate older ages into their designs.