ADT (androgen deprivation therapy) lowers levels of testosterone, which protects against the brain disease, and could double the risk. The researchers say they can`t be absolutely sure that there`s a direct cause-and-effect association between ADT and Alzheimer`s, but they strongly suspect it`s there.
When they looked at hospital records of 16,888 prostate cancer patients, they discovered that double the number of the 2,400 men given ADT went on to develop Alzheimer`s compared with others who weren`t using the therapy.
The risk also seemed to rise with the dose of ADT being given, and with the length of time that ADT was being used. The researchers, from the University of Pennsylvania and Stanford Medical School, say that earlier research supports their fears: in those studies, men with Alzheimer`s have tended to have lower testosterone levels. Low levels have also been linked to impotence, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and depression.
(Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2015; doi: 10.1200/JCO.2015.63.6266)
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