Could there be connections between having cancer and a reduction in dementia risk? This is something various studies are currently looking into.
There is growing interest, from studying patterns of disease in the population, in the potential connection between the development of cancer and a reduced risk of dementia, with several studies exploring this idea. What is of particular interest now, with seemingly similar observations from several population studies is to try and understand what might be possible biological mechanisms that might explain this.
Members of the Cancer Endocrinology Group (Dr Claire Perks and Prostate Cancer UK supported early career researcher, Dr Rachel Barker) are investigating the role of the PI3K signalling pathway in hormone responsive cancers, including prostate and breast. This pathway helps to regulate cell growth and in cancer, PI3K is highly active, aiding tumour growth, but in dementia patients without cancer, its activity is lower. ¹ ²
Pat Kehoe, Professor of Translational Dementia Research and Director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute, has teamed up with Elizabeth Blackwell Institute-supported Cancer Network members, Dr Perks and Barker as biomedical cancer specialists, and Professor Richard Martin with vast experience of the study of the epidemiology of cancer to take a multi-disciplinary approach to understanding the biological mechanisms underpinning this puzzling connection between cancer and AD.
Professor Pat Kehoe notes that “one can see a plausibility around how some of the functions of systems driving cancer and uncontrolled cell growth and how they might also contribute to mechanisms that might shield cells against some types of dementia, like Alzheimer’s disease, where cell damage occurs due to their exposure to various damaging proteins like give rise to amyloid plaques. The question now is to try and find those pathways that might be shared in both diseases to try and focus in on what might be the most relevant.”
Some studies suggest that the potential links between the diseases go both ways, and that having some types of dementia may reduce the risk of developing some types of cancer. This might be due to some of the degenerative processes associated with dementia, like some inflammatory processes etc potentially suppressing cancer-promoting enzymes.
Professor Pat Kehoe, believes there is no smoke without fire. “Based on what I have seen so far from various studies and how the same patterns of association keep coming up across the two diseases time and again, I’m quite convinced that there is something is going on here that is worth investigating further. Of course this benefits both diseases as well. Looking at these disease from the different vantage points of researchers with different experiences can provide new insights that might otherwise have been overlooked. In this case, there is also a bigger consideration, not only could this work help identify other mechanisms by which we can effectively target these diseases, the new knowledge will also help us to identify ways to do so that can carefully negotiate what might be some shared mechanisms and avoid inadvertently changing the dynamics of the other disease.”
However, not everyone agrees about the idea that cancer has a protective role against dementia and vice versa. While promising, more research is needed to explore these potential links and their implications for treatment.
In his role as Director of the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute for Health Research at the University of Bristol, Professor Kehoe explains the importance of interdisciplinary research: “Getting researchers together, like in this instance, with a shared interest in exploring a really curious intellectual puzzle involving diseases that have huge societal impact is fantastically exciting, and importantly, really fun. Working together in such a multi-disciplinary way benefits us all as we learn from each other how different ways of approaching their research questions, providing opportunities to learn new methodologies as well, but also the whole collaborative effort truly extols the virtues of the adage ‘many hands make light work’.”
He goes on to explain how Cancer and Poor Mental Health Outcomes are included in the six new Grand Challenge Research Clusters of the University of Bristol’s Faculty of Health and Life Sciences strategy, which Elizabeth Blackwell Institute supports. He said: “Clearly there is an opportunity across the University to make major contributions against some of society’s major health challenges and we at the Institute now wish to build on the previous historical support we have provided to some of these priority areas.
He continues: “In this time of rapid change in the University we are steadfast in our intention to continue to build and support research ecosystems that can help deliver on the health research priorities, across the whole University, but also support and champion the surfacing of new emerging research needs, such as our AI in Health community. Ultimately we will continue to help the health research conducted at the University of Bristol to be to the forefront, as an International research leader, and in doing so support the University’s strategic ambitions to be a steadfast World Top 50/UK top 10 ranked University ”
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¹ Mini Review: Opposing Pathologies in Cancer and Alzheimer’s Disease: Does the PI3K/Akt Pathway Provide Clues? – PubMed
² Untangling the role of tau in sex hormone responsive cancers: lessons learnt from Alzheimer’s disease – PubMed