Oddly, Alzheimer's May Protect Against Cancer -- and Vice Versa: Study

People who have Alzheimer’s disease may be significantly less likely to develop cancer, and people who have cancer may similarly be less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, according to a newly published study.

“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. The research findings are published in the online issue of the medical journal Neurology.

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% compared to those who did not have Alzheimer’s disease when the study started.

For Caucasians who had cancer when the study started, their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease was reduced by 43% 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.

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