Key takeaways:
- Sufferers with breast most cancers had a decrease danger for Alzheimer’s illness than cancer-free controls.
- People handled with radiation remedy had a considerably diminished danger for Alzheimer’s illness.
People handled for breast most cancers typically develop cognitive points, however they could have a decrease danger for creating Alzheimer’s illness than the overall inhabitants.
A retrospective evaluation in Korea discovered sufferers with operable breast most cancers, particularly these aged 65 years and older, had a decrease chance of getting Alzheimer’s illness. Moreover, those that had radiation remedy had a considerably diminished danger.
Knowledge had been derived from Jeong SM, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.16468.
Su-Min Jeong
“Breast most cancers survivors are generally involved about their cognitive well being, however clinicians can reassure them, based mostly on our analysis, they could not have a excessive danger of Alzheimer’s illness,” Su-Min Jeong, MD, assistant professor within the division of medication at Seoul Nationwide College Faculty of Drugs, advised Healio.
‘Chemo mind’
Breast most cancers is the commonest malignancy amongst girls worldwide.
Greater than 2.3 million people bought recognized in 2022, accounting for 11.6% of all new most cancers instances, in line with examine background.
On the optimistic aspect, early screening and enhanced remedies have dramatically improved survival charges. That has led to elevated give attention to survivorship.
Cognitive points steadily come up following remedy for breast most cancers survivors.
“Often, it’s referred to as chemo mind,” Jeong mentioned.
Earlier research have investigated hyperlinks between most cancers remedy and Alzheimer’s illness.
Healio beforehand reported on a examine that confirmed older adults with most cancers had a considerably decrease danger for Alzheimer’s illness and associated dementia than the overall inhabitants.
Nevertheless, different analysis has proven the other.
Jeong and colleagues used the Korean Nationwide Well being Insurance coverage Service knowledge, which covers 97% of the Korean inhabitants, to analyze Alzheimer’s danger in survivors of breast most cancers.
They included 70,701 sufferers (imply age, 53.1 years; commonplace deviation, 8.5) who had breast most cancers surgical procedure between 2010 and 2016, and matched them 1:3 to a cancer-free management group of 180,360 people (imply age, 53.3 years; commonplace deviation, 8.5).
Incidence of Alzheimer’s illness served as the first endpoint.
Decrease danger for Alzheimer’s illness
In all, 1,229 people with breast most cancers had Alzheimer’s illness (incidence price, 2.45 per 1,000 particular person years) in contrast with 3,430 instances within the management group (incidence price, 2.63 per 1,000 particular person years).
The breast most cancers cohort had a decrease danger for creating Alzheimer’s illness (subdistribution HR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86-0.98), significantly folks aged 65 years and older (sHR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.85-0.99).
“We had been shocked,” Jeong mentioned.
Sufferers with breast most cancers had a decrease danger for Alzheimer’s illness at 6 months (HR = 0.92; 95% CI, 0.86-0.99) however researchers didn’t observe any variations between the breast most cancers survivor and management teams at 1, 3 or 5 years.
They did discover, nevertheless, that people with breast most cancers handled with radiation remedy had a considerably decrease danger for Alzheimer’s illness (adjusted HR = 0.77; 95% CI, 0.68-0.87). Different remedies didn’t have an affiliation with illness incidence.
“Radiation remedy might have some neuroprotective impact on their mind,” Jeong mentioned. “We searched some present literature and located low-dose radiation remedy can be utilized for treating Alzheimer’s illness.”
Amongst breast most cancers survivors, modifiable danger components that had an affiliation with elevated danger for Alzheimer’s illness included low revenue vs. excessive revenue (aHR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.08-1.43) and present people who smoke vs. never- or ex-smokers (aHR = 2.04; 95% CI, 1.53-2.72). Comorbidities that had associations with Alzheimer’s illness included diabetes (aHR = 1.58; 95% CI, 1.36-1.82) and continual kidney illness (aHR = 3.11; 95% CI, 1.98-4.88).
Researchers acknowledged examine limitations, together with lack of knowledge on most cancers stage and radiation dose and fraction.
Research with longer follow-up warrant consideration, and investigations into different most cancers sorts do, as properly.
“The danger of dementia is a key issue influencing high quality of life after remedy amongst most cancers survivors,” Jeong mentioned. “Learning well being points that have an effect on high quality of life in most cancers survivors is a significant subsequent step for analysis.”
For extra info:
Su-Min Jeong, MD, will be reached at smjeong.fm@gmail.com.
