SASP creates pro-tumorigenic environments not by promoting mutations, but by disrupting tissue architecture

Senescent cells secrete SASP factors that promote cancer—but not by directly causing mutations. The real mechanism is architectural disruption.

Aged tissues accumulate senescent cells that remodel the ECM, recruit immunosuppressive cells, and create chaotic signaling environments. This disrupted architecture allows rare mutant clones to escape normal constraints and expand.

The hypothesis: SASP-driven cancer is an ecological problem, not just a cell-autonomous one. The solution may require restoring tissue organization, not just killing senescent cells.