A recent study showed that hormone-modulating therapy (HMT), used for the treatment of breast cancer, reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in older adults. The dementia prevention effect showed a risk reduction of up to 24%, depending on age and race.
A team led by Professor Francesmary Modugno of the University of Pittsburgh and Professor Chao Cai of the University of South Carolina announced the findings on Wednesday. According to their findings, published in the medical journal JAMA Network Open, the correlation between HMT and the onset of ADRD was found after tracking over 18,0000 breast cancer patients for nearly 12 years.
About two-thirds of breast cancer patients have hormone receptor-positive tumors, which grow in response to estrogen or progesterone. HMT can inhibit tumor growth by blocking hormones from binding to receptors. While the use of HMT is associated with improved survival rates, the research team pointed out that evidence is mixed regarding its role in reducing the symptoms of ADRD, including memory loss, mood, and behavior changes, as well as impaired cognitive and problem-solving abilities.
The research team used a federal database of 18,808 people aged over 65 who were diagnosed with breast cancer between 2007 and 2009 and had no history of ADRD or HMT use before the diagnosis. Then, they tracked the correlation between the use of HMT and the onset of ADRD in those patients.
65.7% (12,356 people) of the patients received HMT within three years after a breast cancer diagnosis. During the 12-year observation period, ADRD occurred in 23.7% (2,926) of HMT users and 27.9% (1,802 out of 6,452) non-users.
Taking into account the mortality risk related to age and the duration of HMT exposure, the results showed that the use of HMT overall reduced the risk of developing ADRD.
In particular, the effect was most pronounced in the 65-69 age group and decreased with advancing age. However, among those aged 80 and older, HMT users had an increased risk of developing ADRD.
Overall, HMT users had a 7% lower risk of ADRD than non-users.
Among Black women aged 65 to 74, HMT users had a 24% reduced risk of developing ADRD and a 19% reduced risk after age 75. Among White women, the risk of ADRD decreased by 11% at ages 65-74, but this effect disappeared after age 75.
The research team noted that this study is limited to patients aged 65 and older, adding that in future studies, they plan to investigate further the correlation between HMT and dementia risk by including younger women who have not had menopause.
“Our study suggests that younger women may benefit more from HMT in terms of reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia,” said Cai.
“This suggests that the timing of HMT initiation is crucial and treatment plans should be tailored to a patient’s age.”
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