Alzheimer's disease and cancer: Current epidemiological evidence for a mutual protection

摘要

With the rapid (and unprecedented) population aging and growth worldwide, Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer have become two of the most important global public health problems [1, 2]. Therefore, a better understanding of the connections and interactions between these disorders could potentially improve the quality of life and healthcare outcome of millions worldwide [3]. However, the comorbidity between AD and cancer is not completely understood. This is particularly reflected by the ongoing debate concerning a lower-than-expected probability of cancer developing in patients with AD and vice versa [4]. For example, Musicco et al. [5] have recently found that individuals with cancer are at a lower risk of developing AD compared to those without cancer (a relative risk reduction of 35%). A similar but more pronounced reduction of cancer risk was identified in patients with AD (43%).