Eye disease and cancer share aging mechanisms
People with a specific eye condition turn out to have a higher risk of cancer. At first glance that looks like coincidence.
Neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD) is the most severe form of macular degeneration. It is one of the leading causes of irreversible vision loss in older adults. The disease is driven by uncontrolled growth of new blood vessels in the eye, regulated by a growth factor called VEGF.
New research, described via Fight Aging based on a study published in the journal Aging, shows that nAMD patients more frequently develop certain forms of cancer. That link is not coincidental: VEGF, the molecule that causes nAMD, also plays a well-established role in tumour growth through blood vessel formation (angiogenesis).
Shared biology beneath the surface
There are further shared mechanisms. Chronic low-grade inflammation (also called inflammaging, the persistent mild inflammatory state associated with aging) plays a role in both diseases. So does remodelling of the extracellular matrix and the activity of senescent cells, which through their secretome (the package of substances they release) can damage tissue and promote tumour growth.
Additional genetic research reveals that both AMD and certain cancer types share genetic susceptibility related to immune activation, fat metabolism, and breakdown of the extracellular matrix. This strengthens the idea of a shared biological foundation.
What this means for aging
The explanation researchers propose is that the aging body accumulates a pattern of damage, and that pattern determines which diseases emerge together. nAMD and cancer may be outcomes of the same underlying processes, not separate conditions. Researchers are cautious: these are observed associations and biological hypotheses, not proven causal relationships. Clinical implications have not yet been established.