New research has claimed people who have Alzheimer’s disease may be less likely to develop cancer.
The study published in the online issue of the journal Neurology suggests the same may also be true the other way round, with people who have cancer less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers looked at a group of 3,020 people aged 65 and older 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 per cent) already had Alzheimer’s disease and 522 people (17.3 per cent) already had a cancer diagnosis.
During the length of the study, 478 people developed dementia and 376 people developed invasive cancer.
The authors of the research found that for people who had Alzheimer’s disease at the start of the study the risk of future cancer hospitalisation was reduced by 69 per cent, compared to those who did not have the disease at the start.
They also found that for Caucasian people who had cancer when the study started, their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease was reduced by 43 per cent compared to people who did not have cancer at the start.
However, the latter finding was not evident in minority groups.
Commenting on the findings, Catherine Roe from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, said: "Discovering the links between these two conditions may help us better understand both diseases and open up avenues for possible treatments."
Thu, Dec 24, 2009
Crime, Health