Why Men With Prostate Cancer At Higher Risk Of Alzheimer's? Study Unravels - Video

Research published in the Journal Science Advances indicates that prostate cancer treatment may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease in men.

Scientists were actively exploring the origins of Alzheimer’s disease in men with prostate cancer to determine whether it is primarily caused by the standard hormone therapy treatments they receive or by an overactive immune response.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT), a form of hormone treatment for cancer, works by lowering testosterone levels, which are essential for cancer growth. However, since androgens play a crucial role in regulating amyloid metabolism, their reduction can lead to an accumulation of amyloid, contributing to the formation of plaques that are characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.

The research team hypothesized that an overactive immune response and resulting inflammation might be contributing factors. To investigate further, they created an animal model that combined Alzheimer’s disease and cancer, administering androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for eight weeks while tracking androgen levels and tumour size.

They also developed additional models: a wild type (without Alzheimer’s or cancer), a group with only Alzheimer’s, and another group with only cancer that underwent androgen deprivation therapy. This approach helped the team better understand the complex interactions between these conditions. Additionally, they frequently analyzed blood samples for immune markers to monitor changes.

Researchers found an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, small proteins that trigger an increase in inflammation throughout the body, and a decrease in anti-inflammatory cytokines, particularly in the animals with Alzheimer’s and cancer that received ADT.

To intervene and stop the immune cell infiltration, researchers choose the drug Natalizumab for the management. Treating mice with both cancer and Alzheimer’s disease using a combination of ADT and natalizumab not only decreased immune cell infiltration but also enhanced the integrity of the blood-brain barrier.

Reference: Chao Zhang et al.,Androgen deprivation therapy exacerbates Alzheimer’s-associated cognitive decline via increased brain immune cell infiltration.Sci. Adv.10,eadn8709(2024).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.adn8709