Abstract PS1-02-19: Aging and inflammatory biomarkers in post-menopausal breast cancer survivors with and without treatment-induced menopause

Abstract Background: Menopause has been associated with increased aging biomarkers, such as epigenetic clocks and inflammatory biomarkers, including interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP). However, no studies have examined aging and inflammatory processes in breast cancer survivors who experienced treatment-induced menopause. This study compared aging and inflammatory biomarker levels in post-menopausal breast cancer survivors with and without treatment-induced menopause. Methods: This study included 25 women who participated in the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) study, which investigated the impact of an 8-week MBSR intervention on the aging process. All participants were diagnosed with locally advanced, estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. They had undergone surgery and were taking an aromatase inhibitor. We divided participants into two groups: Group 1 included 8 females younger than 50 years who experienced treatment-induced menopause, and Group 2 included 17 females older than 50 years who had undergone natural menopause. Blood samples were collected at baseline and at the 8-week follow up. Using the baseline samples, we measured an aging biomarker, P16 INK4a expression in T cells, which increases with age. We also measured two inflammatory biomarkers: IL-6 (pg/mL) and high-sensitivity CRP (hsCRP, mg/L). P16 INK4a expression and hsCRP levels were log2 transformed to correct for skewness. We compared the levels of P16 INK4a , IL-6, and hsCRP across groups in an unadjusted model and a model adjusted for age, chemotherapy, and radiation. Results: Participants’ characteristics for the two groups are presented in Table 1. Participants were predominantly White and highly educated. For Group 1 (treatment-induced menopause) and Group 2 (natural menopause), respectively, the mean age was 43.7 and 61.9 years, and the mean time since diagnosis was 3.8 and 4.2 years. All women in Group 1 had chemotherapy, whereas 38.9% in Group 2 had chemotherapy (p = 0.01). The prevalence of radiation was similar across groups [Table 1]. In both unadjusted and adjusted models, mean levels of P16 INK4a (Group 1 vs. Group 2 in the model adjusted for age, chemotherapy, and radiation: 5.04 vs. 5.11, p = 0.19), IL-6 (1.03 vs. 2.30, p = 0.28), and hsCRP (1.04 vs. 0.92, p = 0.92) were similar across groups. Conclusions: Despite treatment-induced menopausal breast cancer survivors being, on average, 18 years younger than those with natural menopause, both groups showed similar levels of aging and inflammatory biomarkers. These findings suggest that treatment-induced menopause may accelerate the aging process among young female breast cancer survivors. Future studies should examine whether treatment-induced menopause accelerates aging more than natural menopause and investigate longitudinal aging trajectories in treatment-induced menopausal breast cancer survivors. Citation Format: S. Wang, S. A. Everson-Rose, A. Prizment, A. H. Blaes. Aging and inflammatory biomarkers in post-menopausal breast cancer survivors with and without treatment-induced menopause [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS1-02-19.