Breast cancer survivors may have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, experts say

South Korean researchers say they had found an 8 percent lower risk

Could breast cancer survivors have a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease?

South Korean researchers say breast cancer survivors have an 8 percent lower risk of developing the condition compared to people without cancer, despite commonly-held concerns about cognitive decline following treatment.

“We found a slightly lower risk of [Alzheimer’s] among breast cancer survivors, in line with several previous studies and a meta-analysis,” the authors wrote in a study published Friday in the journal JAMA Network Open, the open-access journal of the American Medical Association.

“This suggests that standard breast cancer treatments, including radiation therapy, may not increase and may even reduce Alzheimer’s dementia risk in the short term,” Seoul National University Dr. Su-Min Jeong, who led the study, told AuntMinnie. “Clinicians can use this evidence to reassure breast cancer patients concerned about their cognitive health.”

The researchers also found no association between the risk for Alzheimer’s and treatment with chemotherapeutic agents.

Could breast cancer survivors have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease? South Korea researchers say ‘yes’ (Getty)

“An increased risk of dementia in patients with head and neck cancer treated with radiation therapy was noted. However, the risk of AD could differ, depending on the dose of radiation and site of exposure,” they explained.

To reach these conclusions, they looked at the data from more than 70,000 patients who underwent breast cancer surgery between the first day of January 2010 and the last day of December 2016. The data was collected by the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Participants were grouped with healthy age-matched controls at a one-to-three ratio. The women underwent an average follow-up of 7.3 years.

Among the participants, 1,229 cases of Alzheimer’s were detected. Breast cancer survivors showed a slightly lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s compared with cancer-free women. The trend was especially applicable to women aged 65-and-up.

“However, landmark analyses found that this lower risk did not persist beyond five years of survival. Cancer treatment with radiation therapy was associated with reduced risk of [Alzheimer’s] among survivors,” they wrote.

The study was led by Seoul National University Hospital Dr. Su-Min Jeong. Jeong said their findings may reassure patients (AFP/Getty)

They say that further research is needed to assess the long-term risk of Alzheimer’s disease in breast cancer survivors.

Previous research from researchers at the University of Pittsburgh also found that hormone modulating therapy used for the treatment of breast cancer was associated with a 7 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias later in life, and that some women may be at a higher risk than others.

The South Korean researchers noted that cytotoxic chemotherapy has been recognized as a cause of cognitive decline called chemobrain in cancer survivors, referring to thinking and memory issues after treatment. Researchers added that their findings suggest that this treatment does not directly lead to Alzheimer’s disease.

“The findings suggest certain cancer treatments potentially have benefits for lower Alzheimer’s disease risk,” the authors said.