What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to assess mortality trends among adults aged 55 and older diagnosed with both Alzheimer's dementia and malignant neoplasms.

May 30, 2026

Trends in mortality from malignant neoplasms and Alzheimer's dementia in adults aged 55 and older in the United States: A retrospective analysis from 1999 to 2020.

Key Points

The study aims to assess mortality trends among adults aged 55 and older diagnosed with both Alzheimer's dementia and malignant neoplasms.
Utilized the CDC WONDER database to extract mortality data using ICD-10 codes.
Analyzed age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR/100,000) across demographics including age, gender, and race.
Reviewed data from 1999 to 2020 for mortality trends from both conditions.
Total of 124447 deaths recorded from malignant neoplasms and Alzheimer's disease among patients over 55.
Gender analysis indicates a significant decline in AAMR for both genders, with males having a higher rate (7.78) compared to females (7.03, p < 0.05).
Asians show a significantly lower mean AAMR (3.9) compared to Whites (8.2) and African Americans (8.6). Mortality trends from both conditions combined are decreasing.

Abstract

e22603 Background: There are a large number of studies in literature that have described an inverse association between Alzheimer's dementia and cancer. Multiple biological mechanisms have been theorized to explain this association as well. Despite the reported inverse association, the two conditions tend to coexist. The main purpose of our study was to assess the mortality trends among adults aged 55 and older with concomitant diagnosis of both Alzheimer's dementia and malignant neoplasms. Methods: The CDC WONDER database was utilized to extract mortality data using ICD-10 codes. The age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR/100,000) for the population were extracted, and trends were analyzed for age, gender, race, and year. Results: There was a total of 124447 deaths from malignant neoplasms and Alzheimer's disease from 1999 to 2020 in patients older than 55 years of age. Gender analysis of this cohort showed that both genders have shown an overall gradual decline in AAMR over the course of years. Males have a consistently higher AAMR as compared to females. In fact mean AAMR in males is 7.78 (range: 7.26–8.30; SD: 1.13), and mean AAMR in females is 7.03 (range: 6.64–7.42; SD: 0.83). And the difference in mean AAMR is statistically significant (7.78 vs. 7.03 per 100,000, p < 0.05). Race analysis showed that AAMR from malignant neoplasms and Alzheimer's disease in Asians is significantly and persistently less as compared to Whites and African Americans. The mean AAMR for Asians is 3.9 (range: 3.5–4.3; SD: 1.1) as compared to Whites 8.2 (range: 7.7–8.7; SD: 1.3) and African Americans 8.6 (range: 8.1–9.1; SD: 1.4). Conclusions: The mortality from malignant neoplasms alone has shown upward trends in both genders. Similarly, mortality trends from Alzheimer's disease has also shown an upward trend over the course of years. But our study shows a decreasing mortality trend from both conditions combined. These findings to a certain extent support the hypothesis that these two "beasts" (Alzheimer's and malignant neoplasm) tend not to coexist. The decreasing trend in mortality is noted in both genders and all races. Among all races, Asians have the lowest AAMR. It can be explained by decreased incidence of both Alzheimer's dementia and malignant neoplasms in Asian population. Mean AAMR from Alzheimer's disease and malignant neoplasms. Sex Mean Rate (per 100,000) SD 95% CI (Lower–Upper) Male 7.78 1.13 7.26 – 8.30 Female 7.03 0.83 6.64 – 7.42

Mark Helpful

Bookmark

Relay