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Review
. 2024 Sep 17;5(9):101737.
doi: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101737. Epub 2024 Sep 10.

Early-onset cancers: Biological bases and clinical implications

Affiliations
Review

Early-onset cancers: Biological bases and clinical implications

Gianluca Mauri et al. Cell Rep Med. .

Abstract

Since the nineties, the incidence of sporadic early-onset (EO) cancers has been rising worldwide. The underlying reasons are still unknown. However, identifying them is vital for advancing both prevention and intervention. Here, we exploit available knowledge derived from clinical observations to formulate testable hypotheses aimed at defining the causal factors of this epidemic and discuss how to experimentally test them. We explore the potential impact of exposome changes from the millennials to contemporary young generations, considering both environmental exposures and enhanced susceptibilities to EO-cancer development. We emphasize how establishing the time required for an EO cancer to develop is relevant to defining future screening strategies. Finally, we discuss the importance of integrating multi-dimensional data from international collaborations to generate comprehensive knowledge and translate these findings back into clinical practice.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of interests A. Bardelli reports personal fees from Guardant Health and Inivata during the conduct of the study as well as grants from AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, and NeoPhore outside the submitted work; in addition, A. Bardelli is a shareholder of NeoPhore and Kither. G.M. and G.P. received honoraria from COR2ED. S.S. is an advisory board member for Agenus, AstraZeneca, Bayer, BMS, CheckmAb, Daiichi Sankyo, Guardant Health, Merck, Novartis, Roche-Genentech, and Seagen. A.S.-B. reports personal fees from Amgen, Bayer, Pierre Fabre, Servier, Guardant Health, and Novartis during the conduct of the study.

Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic representation of putative factors contributing to the increase in early-onset cancers (left) alongside with translational platforms (middle) for hypothesis validation (right) within the framework of the “EO-cancer integrome” Keys: ⋅, testable hypotheses; formula image, translational strategies to address hypotheses; EO, early-onset.

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