Is this the evidence for perinatal and early life events impacting on cancer outcomes?

We read with interest the manuscript by Koczwara et al. addressing the impact of co-morbidities on physical function and cancer-related survival in middle-aged and older individuals. Based on an observational (secondary) analysis of the KLIMOP dataset of 1040 cancer patients in Belgium and the Netherlands, the authors found that co-morbidities and polypharmacy (as a surrogate marker for co-morbidities) were associated with significantly inferior outcomes in patients aged 50–64years versus those who were older than 65 years. The authors’ proposed benefits of the findings of this study were to inform improved assessment of co-morbidities in cancer patients. They briefly mentioned the need for research into the aetiology of this relationship (co-morbidities and cancer).