title: Biological ageing and frailty markers in breast cancer patients.
abstract: Older cancer patients are a highly heterogeneous population in terms of global health and physiological reserves, and it is often difficult to determine the best treatment. Moreover, clinical tools currently used to assess global health require dedicated time and lack a standardized end score. Circulating markers of biological age and/or fitness could complement or partially substitute the existing screening tools. In this study we explored the relationship of potential ageing/frailty biomarkers with age and clinical frailty. On a population of 82 young and 162 older non-metastatic breast cancer patients, we measured mean leukocyte telomere length and plasma levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), regulated upon activation, normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES), monocyte chemotactic protein 1 (MCP-1), insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). We also developed a new tool to summarize clinical frailty, designated Leuven Oncogeriatric Frailty Score (LOFS), by integrating GA results in a single, semi-continuous score. LOFS' median score was 8, on a scale from 0=frail to 10=fit. IL-6 levels were associated with chronological age in both groups and with clinical frailty in older breast cancer patients, whereas telomere length, IGF-1 and MCP-1 only correlated with age. Plasma IL-6 should be further explored as frailty biomarker in cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, and Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Brouwers
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, and Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium.|Department of Internal Medicine, Istituto di Ricerca a Carattere Clinico e Scientifico (IRCCS), Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria (AOU) San Martino Istituto Nazionale Tumori (IST), Genoa, Italy.
authors.forename: Bruna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dalmasso
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, and Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Sigrid
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hatse
authors.affiliation: Interuniversity Centre for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Annouschka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laenen
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, and Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kenis
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, and Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Evalien
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Swerts
authors.affiliation: Leuven Multidisciplinary Breast Center, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Neven
authors.affiliation: Leuven Multidisciplinary Breast Center, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smeets
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, and Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Schöffski
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Experimental Oncology (LEO), Department of Oncology, KU Leuven, and Department of General Medical Oncology, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven Cancer Institute, Leuven, Belgium.|Leuven Multidisciplinary Breast Center, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wildiers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000097:blood*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D018932:Chemokine CCL2 / Q000097:blood; D018946:Chemokine CCL5 / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000097:blood; D008875:Middle Aged; D016615:Telomere
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; C111835:CCL2 protein, human; C483024:CCL5 protein, human; D018932:Chemokine CCL2; D018946:Chemokine CCL5; D015850:Interleukin-6; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I
keywords: biomarkers; breast cancer; frailty; geriatric assessment; interleukin-6