Figure 1. Relationship between aging and carcinogenesis: the key role of insulin/IGF-1-like signaling (IIS) and mTOR signaling.

DNA damage induced by environmental and endogenous factors (ROS, chemicals, ionizing radiation, ultra-violet, constant illumination, oncogenes, some diets, etc.) may leads to cellular senescence or cellular lesions which could be deleted by apoptosis or autophagy. The same agents can induce damages which followed by neoplastic transformation thus leading to cancer. Metformin, rapamycin, and some other compounds with mTOR- and IIS-inhibitory potential (resveratrol, melatonin) are able to modify both the aging and carcinogenesis.