Non-melanoma skin cancer, which includes basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma, is the most common type of cancer in the U.S. Now, here's a new research finding about this skin cancer.
People who have non-melanoma skin cancer may be less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease, suggest scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University.
The finding was based on an analysis of a study, dubbed Einstein Aging Study, which enrolled 1,012 people, aged 70 and older, between October 1993 and December 2009.
A correlation between non-melanoma skin cancer and the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease in the study participants revealed that people with skin cancer were nearly 80 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease compared to those who did not have skin cancer. However, no such association was found between non-melanoma skin cancer and other types of dementia, such as vascular dementia, according to the researchers.
Although the study did not determine whether there is an actual cause and effect relationship, the researchers speculate that physical activity could be the reason for skin cancer's possibly protective effect against Alzheimer's disease.
Richard Lipton, senior author of the study said, "Physical activity is known to protect against dementia, and outdoor activity could increase exposure to ultraviolet radiation, which increases the risk of skin cancer."
That said, he cautioned that "the findings certainly should not encourage people to abandon their skin-cancer prevention efforts and that they should continue to wear sunscreen, avoid the sun during midday and wear clothing to protect their skin."
The study findings were published in the May 15, 2013, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
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