London: Having Alzheimer`s or cancer may lower the risk of developing the other disease, according to the largest study ever on the topic.
Older people with Alzheimer`s disease are less likely to also have cancer, and older people with cancer are less likely to also have Alzheimer`s disease, researchers said.
"Since the number of cases of both Alzheimer`s disease and cancer increase exponentially as people age, understanding the mechanisms behind this relationship may help us better develop new treatments for both diseases," said study author Massimo Musicco, of the National Research Council of Italy in Milan.
The study involved 204,468 people age 60 and older in northern Italy during a six-year period. During that time, 21,451 people developed cancer and 2,832 people developed Alzheimer`s disease.
A total of 161 people had both cancer and Alzheimer`s disease, whereas that number would have been expected to be 281 for cancer and 246 for Alzheimer`s disease when considering how often the diseases occur in the general population.
Therefore the risk of cancer was cut in half for people with Alzheimer`s disease, and the risk of Alzheimer`s disease was reduced by 35 per cent for people with cancer.
"While other studies have noted this relationship before, this is the largest study to date and it has several strengths over previous studies, such as looking for the presence of the second disease both before and after the first disease was diagnosed," Musicco said.
"This controls for the possibility that the presence of one disease might obscure the diagnosis of other diseases because any new symptoms might be interpreted as a consequence of the already-diagnosed disease, or in the case of cancer, people might assume that memory problems were a side effect of chemotherapy," Musicco said.
The researchers found the same result in people who died during the course of the study as well as those still living, controlling for the possibility that the reduced life expectancy for the first disease would also reduce the likelihood of living to develop the second disease.
The study was published in the journal Neurology.
PTI
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.