Health Issues Today shows the relationship between prostate cancer’s hormone therapy and Alzheimer’s disease. It is said that the risk of men acquiring Alzheimer’s disease is high if he is undergoing hormone treatment.
In a research, men who went through hormone treatment is doubly at risk for Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who did not went through the hormone therapy treatment.
According to Dr. Kevin Nead, a radiation oncologist of the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, there is an increase in the risk of men who underwent the therapy for more than one year.
Patients who underwent the ADT or Androgen Deprivation Therapy and for the longest period, were prone to acquire Alzheimer’s disease.It is said to be the effect of being dose dependent, according to studies made by Nead and his team.
There is yet investigation that has to be done to prove the connection of Alzheimer’s disease as the cause of hormone therapy treatment for prostate cancer according to researchers.
Latest in medical news state that androgen, which is a male sex hormone can cause cancer cells to multiply in a study made by the National Cancer Institute of the U.S.
Certain medications are prescribed by doctors to minimize the androgen production in a person’s body or to totally put a halt on the effects of androgen. Medications are also used to bring the growth of the tumors to a slow pace.
Despite medical news articles stating what ADT can cause, it has been utilized by experts to treat prostate cancer as early as the 1940s according to the authors.
According to the chief medical and scientific officer, Dr. Otis Brawley of the American Cancer Society, ADT is suspected by doctors to cause brain activity problems on patients.
There were complaints from patients undergoing the ADT to have concentration and thinking problems though these are common side effects on other drugs according to Brawley. ADT does not directly cause Alzheimer’s disease.
The mentioned side effects are symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease which is why researchers need to delve into the possibility of ADT and Alzheimer’s disease according to Nead.
Millions of patients have been profiled and was discovered that patients under ADT, cancer cells did not spread in their bodies. The mentioned patients were also checked for Alzheimer’s disease.
Within three years of follow up, patients that underwent ADT increased their risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease for about 88% in comparison to patients who never underwent ADT according to researchers.
Authors said that worst cases were discovered in men who underwent ADT for more than a year have higher risk of acquiring Alzheimer’s disease more than that of patients who were not treated with ADT.
There are a couple of means that androgen can cause a risk on patients to acquire Alzheimer’s. One is that beta amyloid circulate low levels in a person’s bloodstream according to Keith Fargo.
Alzheimer’s is caused by clumps of beta amyloid in the brain. The clumps cause plaques in the brain and these plaques are said to be the cause of Alzheimer’s though there were no sure proof of the relationship of the two.
Nead said that the blood vessels can get affected if the patient underwent ADT. The health of the blood vessels can affect a person’s brain function which can be the cause of neurological disorders and one of which is Alzheimer’s.
Though studies have shown dramatic results, it is still too soon to make the findings final according to experts.
There are other causes that might influence results of the link between Alzheimer’s and ADT which is why researchers are yet to prove the connection.
Nead said that it is too early to decide the analysis based on the link between Alzheimer’s and ADT. It can only aid in future studies.
Fargo stated that doctors can come up with similar decisions based on the study. According to him, patients suffering from prostate cancer must strictly stick with their doctor’s prescription. Studies like the above mentioned link between Alzheimer’s and ADT should not be the cause for patients to decide upon stopping on their medication. Always consult with your doctors according to Fargo.
To conclude, Brawley stated that the link between ADT and Alzheimer’s is yet to be further studied. This can become an issue to be concerned about and because of this, treating patients of their prostate cancer through ADT should be done with utmost care. Final studies are yet to be done to benefit patients suffering from prostate cancer.