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Cancer as a Risk Factor for Long-Term Cognitive Deficits and Dementia
Affiliations of authors: Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (LHH, BEM, NLP, MG); Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden (PH, PL, NLP, MG); Department of Psychology, Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden (BJ)
Correspondence to: Beth E. Meyerowitz, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089–1061 (e-mail: meyerow{at}usc.edu).
Previous studies have shown that cancer survivors frequently experience short-term cognitive deficits, but it is unknown how long these deficits last or whether they worsen over time. Using a co-twin control design, the cognitive function of 702 cancer survivors aged 65 years and older was compared with that of their cancer-free twins. Dementia rates were also compared in 486 of the twin pairs discordant for cancer. Cancer survivors overall, as well as individuals who had survived cancer for 5 or more years before cognitive testing, were more likely than their co-twins to have cognitive dysfunction (odds ratio [OR] = 2.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.36 to 3.24; P<.001; and OR = 2.71, 95% CI = 1.47 to 5.01; P<.001, respectively). Cancer survivors were also twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia as their co-twins, but this odds ratio did not reach statistical significance (OR = 2.0, 95% CI = 0.86 to 4.67; P = .10). These results suggest that cancer patients are at increased risk for long-term cognitive dysfunction compared with individuals who have never had cancer, even after controlling for the influence of genetic factors and rearing environment.
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Correspondence about this Article
- Re: Cancer as a Risk Factor for Long-Term Cognitive Deficits and Dementia
- William B. Grant
J Natl Cancer Inst 2005 97: 1549.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
- RESPONSE: Re: Cancer as a Risk Factor for Long-Term Cognitive Deficits and Dementia
- Lara H. Heflin, Beth E. Meyerowitz, Per Hall, Paul Lichtenstein, Boo Johansson, Nancy L. Pedersen, and Margaret Gatz
J Natl Cancer Inst 2005 97: 1550.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
Editorial about this Article
- Cancer as a Risk Factor for Dementia: A House Built on Shifting Sand
- Jeffrey S. Wefel and Christina A. Meyers
J Natl Cancer Inst 2005 97: 788-789.[Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]
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