Medical News

Radiotherapy for breast cancer linked to lower Alzheimer’s risk

Radiotherapy for breast cancer appears to offer short-term protection against Alzheimer’s disease, a study has found. Image credit: Israel Sebastian/Getty Images.

• A cohort study led by researchers from Samsung Medical Center in South Korea examined the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in breast cancer survivors.
• The scientists compared the prevalence of Alzheimer’s to the different methods of cancer treatment and also to a group of healthy women.
• The researchers found that breast cancer survivors treated with radiation therapy had an 8% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s in the short term.

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers among women, and according to the American Cancer SocietyTrusted Source, women have a one in eight chance of developing it at some point.

At the same time, Alzheimer’s disease is another public health challenge. According to the Alzheimer’s Association, it affects an estimated seven million people in the United States alone.

The researchers noted that a common concern with cancer treatments is that they may cause long-term cognitive side effects, so they explored whether breast cancer treatments impact the chances of developing Alzheimer’s.