Prostate cancer treatment doubles chances of developing Alzheimer’s

A common treatment for prostate cancer potentially doubles the chances of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, a Stanford University study claims.

Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT), or hormone therapy, works by stopping the body’s supply of the male hormone, testosterone.

Hormone therapy is the most commonly used treatment plan for prostate cancer that has spread outside of the prostate gland.

However, there may be a serious danger associated with its use, as the study found patients undergoing hormone therapy are more likely to develop dementia in the five years after treatment than patients who were not treated by that method.

Goserelin, sold under the brand name Zoladex, is the most commonly used hormone treatment drug in Ireland.

Scientists examined 5m medical records from two hospitals in New York and California, finding 9,000 prostate cancer patients to analyse. A total of 2,397 patients were identified as being treated with ADT.

Using patients’ histories, the team found patients who had been treated with ADT had almost doubled the chance of developing Alzheimer’s over the following years, compared to patients who did not receive ADT.

The study also found that patients treated with ADT for longer than a year had more than twice the risk of developing Alzheimer’s than patients who had not.

Men aged 70 and over availing of hormone therapy for at least 12 months are the most at risk at developing dementia, the study also found.

However, prostate cancer patients receiving ADT should not change treatment without consulting their doctors, scientists warned.

A spokesperson for the Irish Cancer Society said: “It is important that in all stages of a cancer patient’s diagnosis and treatment that they are fully informed of the option available to them. In some cases, hormone therapy will be recommended by a patient’s doctor.