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

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Affiliates	Thomas Kuczmarski [1], Elijah W. Stommel [1], Kristen Riley [2], Rup Tandan [3], Vinay Chaudhry [2], Lora Clawson [2], Tracie A. Caller [4], Patricia L. Henegan [1], Dominic N. Facciponte [1], Walter G. Bradley [5], Angeline S. Andrew [1] [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 persons living with ALS 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.
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