Sleep apnea may promote tumor growth in young age

A scientific study conducted with animal models indicates that sleep apnea can promote the growth of lung cancer in young people. Thus, aging would be a protective factor against the rapid development of the tumor, induced by this alteration of sleep.

The study, published in the journal American Journal of Respiratory Medicine and Critical Care, was conducted by research teams led by speakers Ramon Farré, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences and Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (IN2UB) of the University of Barcelona, and Josep Maria Montserrat, from the same faculty and hospital. Barcelona Clinic, also linked to the Center for Biomedical Research on Respiratory Diseases (CIBERES).

The youngest, the most vulnerable to the aggressiveness of cancer

Obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic disease that affects about 10% of the adult population worldwide. In recent years, researchers have shown interest in studying the potential relationship between obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and its immediate consequences, intermittent hypoxia, with the onset of you die. The new study, led by lecturer Isaac Almendros of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences – UB Clinic Campus and IDIBAPS, illustrates the potential effects of obstructive sleep apnea on cancer. In this area, the research team reports early evidence of the role of intermittent hypoxia in cancer development.

This new study was conducted on young age-matched mice in adolescents and elderly mice corresponding to people over 65 years of age. The study shows that lack of oxygen during sleep accelerates tumor growth in the youngest mice.

The research team relates these findings to a differential immune response to intermittent hypoxia in tumor-associated macrophages and regulatory lymphocytes. Almendros said, "We should consider the importance of research on older animals in a similar way to patients with chronic respiratory diseases, such as obstructive sleep apnea. Our challenge is to identify and prove the physiopathological consequences of sleep apnea and to work on its complete treatment. "

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More information:
Marta Torres et al, Aging reduces intermittent growth of hypoxia-induced lung carcinoma in a mouse model of sleep apnea, American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (2018). DOI: 10.1164 / rccm.201805-0892LE