Abstract
Background:Cognitive problems are common in breast cancer patients. The apolipoprotein E4 (APOE4) gene, a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), may be associated with cancer-related cognitive decline.Objective:To further evaluate the effects of the APOE4 allele, we studied a cohort of patients from the UK Biobank (UKB) who had breast cancer; some also had AD.Methods:Our analysis included all subjects with invasive breast cancer. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data for rs 429358 and rs 7412 was used to determine APOE genotypes. Cognitive function as numeric memory was assessed with an online test (UKB data field 20240).Results:We analyzed data from 2,876 women with breast cancer. Of the breast cancer subjects, 585 (20%) carried the APOE4 allele. Numeric memory scores were significantly lower in APOE4 carriers and APOE4 homozygotes than non-carriers (p = 0.046). 34 breast cancer subjects (1.1%) had AD. There was no significant difference in survival among genotypes ɛ3/ɛ3, ɛ3/ɛ4, and ɛ4/ɛ4.Conclusion:UKB data suggest that cognitive problems in women with breast cancer are, for the most part, mild, compared with other sequelae of the disease. AD, the worst cognitive problem, is relatively rare (1.1%) and, when it occurs, APOE genotype has little impact on survival.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
