One gene, two diseases: Study reveals opposing dementia and cancer risks
Researchers at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging have uncovered evidence that a single genetic variant may influence the risk of two of the diseases people fear most—dementia and cancer—but in opposite ways.
by Hillary Smith, University of Kentucky
edited by Lisa Lock , reviewed by Andrew Zinin
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The findings, recently published in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology , indicate that a particular variation in the GRN gene is associated with an increased risk of LATE, a common form of age-related dementia, while also being linked to a lower risk of cancer.
The discovery could help explain a long-observed scientific mystery: why dementia and cancer occur together less often than expected.