Review: epigenetic aging–cancer continuum, metabolism and circulating biomarkers
This abstract describes a review of how age-related epigenetic changes, metabolism and nutrition relate to cancer, and how circulating biomarkers might aid diagnosis, prognosis, prediction and monitoring; it reports no new data. [1]
Automatic summary · not editorially reviewed
The key findings
The review describes aging and cancer as a biological continuum influenced by epigenomic changes, metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, cellular senescence and loss of tissue homeostasis. [1]
Circulating biomarkers such as cell-free DNA methylation and mutation-based ctDNA could detect tumor and host changes linked to aging, inflammation, nutrition and treatment with minimal invasiveness. [1]
The abstract lists challenges including variability, misclassification, heterogeneity, confounding, reverse causality, overfitting and limited validation. [1]
The source at a glance
- Study type / format
- Review (abstract only)
- Population / context
- Not specified in the abstract; the review concerns aging and cancer biology and circulating biomarkers in general.
- Summary based on
- Study abstract
- Original publication
- September 16, 2026
Aging–cancer continuum and epigenetic plasticity
The review frames aging and cancer as a biological continuum shaped by epigenomic changes, metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, cellular senescence and loss of tissue homeostasis. Age-related epigenetic alterations can promote cancer, which the abstract says exploits plasticity for evolution, immune evasion, metastasis and resistance. The focus includes epigenetic plasticity, drug-tolerant states, resistance, epigenetic drugs and metabolic targeting. These are described as topics of a review, not as demonstrated causal effects in people.
Supporting source [1]
Nutrition, metabolism and circulating biomarker potential
Nutrition and metabolism are said to affect the process through one-carbon metabolism, methyl-donor availability, acetyl-CoA and NAD balance, redox status, microbiome metabolites and chromatin enzyme activity. Circulating biomarkers named include cell-free DNA methylation, mutation-based ctDNA, fragmentomic features and non-coding RNAs; they could detect tumor and host changes linked to aging, inflammation, nutrition and treatment with minimal invasiveness. The abstract presents their potential for diagnosis, prognosis, prediction and monitoring, not validated clinical use.
Supporting source [1]
New technologies, stated challenges and validation needs
New technologies such as single-cell and spatial epigenomics, long-read sequencing and multimodal computational approaches are said to aid biomarker discovery and clinical use. The abstract lists challenges: variability, misclassification, heterogeneity, confounding, reverse causality, overfitting and limited validation. Clinical application would need standard workflows, representative cohorts, transparent models and proof that biomarker-guided strategies improve outcomes. These are stated requirements and limitations, not results showing that such strategies already work.
Supporting source [1]
How to interpret this
This is an abstract of a review; the full text was not reviewed. The abstract reports no study design, sample, follow-up or outcome data, and its statements about biomarkers and interventions are described potentials and topics, not demonstrated clinical benefits.
Based on the study abstract; the full paper, tables and supplementary data were not reviewed.
Source & supporting passages
Papaneophytou C, Pieri M, Makreli ME, Charidemou E, Andreou EP. · europepmc.org · September 16, 2026