Ershler W B
Geriatrics. 1987 Jan;42(1):99-103.
With aging, tumors occur more frequently. The "malignant" characteristics of tumors (ie, rapid growth and metastases), however, appear to be less prominent in the elderly. In experimental tumor models, similar observations have been recorded. The reason for this phenomenon could be that tumors (ie, malignant cells) are different in different-aged hosts. Alternatively, host features such as the fibrotic, angiogenic, or immune response may be altered by the aging process and may render the host "soil" less fertile for "malignant" tumor growth. Indeed, experimental evidence has supported the importance of each of these host features. The significance of the exploration and eventual understanding of the age-related change in tumor behavior extends beyond clinical geriatric medicine; it may, in fact, involve the very unraveling of some of the basic biology of both tumor control and the aging process itself.
随着年龄增长，肿瘤的发生更为频繁。然而，肿瘤的“恶性”特征（即快速生长和转移）在老年人中似乎不那么明显。在实验性肿瘤模型中也有类似的观察结果。这种现象的原因可能是肿瘤（即恶性细胞）在不同年龄的宿主中有所不同。或者，诸如纤维化、血管生成或免疫反应等宿主特征可能会因衰老过程而改变，从而使宿主“土壤”对“恶性”肿瘤生长的“肥力”降低。事实上，实验证据支持了这些宿主特征各自的重要性。探索并最终理解肿瘤行为中与年龄相关的变化，其意义不仅限于临床老年医学；实际上，它可能涉及到肿瘤控制和衰老过程本身一些基本生物学原理的揭示。
