Association of cancer and Alzheimer's disease risk in a national cohort of veterans.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

To examine the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) among cancer survivors in a national database.

Methods

Retrospective cohort of 3,499,378 mostly male US veterans aged ≥65 years were followed between 1996 and 2011. We used Cox models to estimate risk of AD and alternative outcomes (non-AD dementia, osteoarthritis, stroke, and macular degeneration) in veterans with and without a history of cancer.

Results

Survivors of a wide variety of cancers had modestly lower AD risk, but increased risk of the alternative outcomes. Survivors of screened cancers, including prostate cancer, had a slightly increased AD risk. Cancer treatment was independently associated with decreased AD risk; those who received chemotherapy had a lower risk than those who did not.

Discus

SUBMITTER: Frain L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5743228 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature