Alzheimer's And Cancer

By David Bjerklie

You don't hear a lot of good news about Alzheimer's disease. Cases continue to mount--5 million Americans and counting--and there are still only a handful of drugs available to treat it, all of which work only in the early stages of the disease. So it was with some excitement that doctors read the report in the New England Journal of Medicine last week about the first treatment that can slow the progression of the disease in advanced cases.

The drug is called memantine. It has been used for more than a decade in Europe for various neurological conditions, including Parkinson's. It is under review by the FDA.

TROPIC OF CANCER Cancer was once thought of as a "Western" disease, the consequence of overabundance and overindulgence. But the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that the rest of the world is quickly catching up. Cancer rates are climbing and could increase 50% by 2020, largely the result of longer life expectancies and changing lifestyles in developing countries. WHO estimates that a third of these cases could be prevented by eating better and avoiding tobacco. --By David Bjerklie