Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and cancer exhibit several shared biological features, such as angiogenesis, mitochondrial dysfunction, and proteostasis, highlighting potential therapeutic opportunities. As the prevalence of AD rises without curative treatments, the repositioning of anti-cancer drugs offers a promising strategy for AD management. This review discusses the overlap in pathophysiological mechanisms between cancer and AD, emphasizing the potential for anticancer drugs to target common molecular pathways and improve AD outcomes.

The review identifies six shared pathological mechanisms between cancer and AD and proposes therapeutic targets, including protein-protein interactions and receptor inhibition. While some anticancer drugs, such as ibrutinib and nilotinib, have shown promise in ameliorating AD pathology in animal models, critical questions remain regarding their efficacy and safety in treating AD. To advance this approach, further preclinical studies are needed to clarify drug delivery mechanisms and optimize treatment regimens, aiming to leverage anticancer therapeutics as strategic theragnostics for AD.

Reference: Lee HJ, Choi HJ, Jeong YJ, et al. Developing theragnostics for Alzheimer’s disease: Insights from cancer treatment. Int J Biol Macromol. 2024;269(Pt 2):131925. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131925.