In a nutshell
The authors aimed to determine the risk of Alzheimer's disease in patients who underwent hormone therapy for prostate cancer. Results concluded that there is an association between hormone therapy and Alzheimer's development, particularly in patients who underwent hormone therapy for more than 12 months.
Some background
Hormone therapy is a common treatment used in prostate cancer patients. It targets the male sex hormones that lead to cancer growth, such as testosterone. Hormone therapy is typically used in patients with advanced prostate cancer (cancer that has spread out from the prostate). This type of treatment is associated with side effects including incontinence (loss of bladder control) and a decrease in sexual function. Some studies suggest that hormone treatment can increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease (a disease that causes leads to dementia).
Methods & findings
The aim of this study was to determine the risk of Alzheimer's in prostate cancer patients who underwent hormone therapy.
This study included 16,888 prostate cancer patients. 2,397 of these patients underwent hormone therapy. Patients were followed for an average of 2.7 years.
During this period, 10 new cases of Alzheimer's were diagnosed. The average time to Alzheimer's diagnosis was 4 years. Patients who underwent hormone therapy had a 66% increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Patients who received more than 12 months of treatment had a 2.12 times higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease than patients who received less than 12 months treatment.
The bottom line
The authors concluded that hormone therapy increased the risk of Alzheimer's disease, particularly in patients who received more than 12 months of treatment.
What’s next?
Discuss your risk of developing Alzheimer's disease with your doctor.
Published By :
Journal of clinical oncology
Date :
Dec 07, 2015
