Medical history of chemotherapy or immunosuppressive drug treatment and risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

At a glance

A study investigating the observer lower risk of ALS development among people who used chemotherapy and immunosuppressants

Affiliates

Thomas Kuczmarski1, Elijah W. Stommel1, Kristen Riley2, Rup Tandan3, Vinay Chaudhry2, Lora Clawson2, Tracie A. Caller4, Patricia L. Henegan1, Dominic N. Facciponte1, Walter G. Bradley5, Angeline S. Andrew1

  1. Department of Neurology, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center
  2. Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University
  3. Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont Medical Center
  4. Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, Medical Specialty Clinic
  5. Department of Neurology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami

Journal

Journal of Neurology

Summary

This study further investigates the observed lower risk of ALS amongst persons who’ve used ‘anti-neoplatic agents’ and ‘immuno-suppressants’. This is a case-control study of 414 PALS and 361 controls in an Eastern US population. History of chemotherapy was significantly associated with reduced risk of ALS. There was no observed association between risk of ALS and immunosuppressant therapy use. These findings support earlier reports of chemotherapy having a protective effect against ALS and suggest a need to investigate the underlying mechanism.

Link to paper

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Content Source:
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry