Alzheimer's, Dementia & Mental Health
Alzheimer’s Disease May Protect Seniors From Cancer,
Cancer From AD
Researchers studied over 3,000 senior citizens: 478
developed dementia, 376 developed cancer
Dec. 24, 2009 - People who have Alzheimer’s disease
may be less likely to develop cancer, and people who have cancer may be
less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a new study
published in the December 23, 2009, online issue of
Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of
Neurology.
“Discovering the links between these two conditions
may help us better understand both diseases and open up avenues for
possible treatments,” said study author Catherine M. Roe, PhD, of
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, MO, and a member
of the American Academy of Neurology.
For the study, researchers looked at a group of
3,020 people age 65 and older who were enrolled in the Cardiovascular
Health Study and followed them for an average of five years to see
whether they developed dementia and an average of eight years to see
whether they developed cancer.
At the start of the study, 164 people (5.4 percent)
already had Alzheimer’s disease and 522 people (17.3 percent) already
had a cancer diagnosis.
During the study, 478 people developed dementia and
376 people developed invasive cancer.
For people who had Alzheimer’s disease at the start
of the study, the risk of future cancer hospitalization was reduced by
69 percent compared to those who did not have Alzheimer’s disease when
the study started.
For Caucasian people who had cancer when the study
started, their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease was reduced by 43
percent compared to people who did not have cancer at the start of the
study, although that finding was not evident in minority groups.
The study was supported by the National Institutes
of Health, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, the National
Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the National Institute
on Aging, the National Center for Research Resources, and the Washington
University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center.
The American Academy of Neurology, an association
of more than 21,000 neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is
dedicated to promoting the highest quality patient-centered neurologic
care. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized training in diagnosing,
treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous system such as
stroke, Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple
sclerosis.
For more information about the American Academy of
Neurology, visit
www.aan.com.
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Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of
Neurology
