Maria Teresa Bourlon, MD, MS, of Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán, Mexico City, Mexico, discusses the link between chemotherapy and premature ageing, via the biomarker p16INK4a, in testicular cancer survivors at the Genitourinary Cancers Symposium 2018, held in San Francisco, CA. Although testicular cancer patients can be cured successfully with chemotherapy, they still suffer from the long-term effects of the treatment. The results of Dr Bourlons research show an increased expression of the p16INK4a senescence protein in patients exposed to chemotherapy. p16INK4a has been found to inhibit CDK4/6 and promote p53 degradation, essentially causing premature senescence. Consequently, testicular cancer survivors may have an increased cancer risk, risk of infection and a weaker response to vaccinations, which is concerning for survivors.
