Patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) often experience cognitive impairment. However, the relationship between cancer and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) remains unclear. We aimed to elucidate the relationship between patients with HNC and their subsequent AD development. This retrospective study used data from a nationwide representative cohort sample, the Korean National Health Insurance Service Cohort. The cancer group was defined based on the presence of diagnostic codes for HNC (C00-C14 and C30-C32). After matching the independent variables with a propensity score of 4:1, a total of 2304 people without HNC and 576 with HNC were enrolled in this study. Hazard ratios (HRs) of AD incidence (per 1000 person-years) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) in HNC patients were calculated. The incidence of AD was 14.92 in HNC patients and 9.77 in non-cancer patients. Additionally, the HNC group was found to have a higher risk of developing AD compared with the non-cancer group. Female and middle-aged HNC patients had a higher risk of developing AD events compared with other subgroups. Surprisingly, during the observation period, the risk of developing AD was relatively high within the first year after HNC diagnosis. In conclusion, our study suggests that HNC and AD are positively correlated.
头颈癌患者常伴有认知功能受损，但癌症与阿尔茨海默病之间的关联机制尚未明确。本研究旨在探究头颈癌患者与后续阿尔茨海默病发病之间的关联性。本回顾性研究采用韩国国民健康保险队列的国家级代表性样本数据，根据头颈癌诊断编码（C00-C14及C30-C32）界定癌症组。通过4:1倾向评分匹配自变量后，共纳入2304名非头颈癌人群及576名头颈癌患者。研究计算了头颈癌患者阿尔茨海默病发病率（每1000人年）的风险比及其95%置信区间。结果显示，头颈癌患者阿尔茨海默病发病率为14.92，非癌症人群为9.77。与非癌症组相比，头颈癌组罹患阿尔茨海默病的风险显著增高。在亚组分析中，女性及中年头颈癌患者表现出更高的阿尔茨海默病发病风险。值得注意的是，在观察期内，头颈癌确诊后第一年内发生阿尔茨海默病的风险尤为突出。本研究证实头颈癌与阿尔茨海默病之间存在正向关联。
Increased Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家