In an effort to combat Alzheimer's disease, scientists are looking at existing drugs that could treat the condition, and a 2025 study identified two promising candidates that are currently used to treat cancer .

Already approved by regulators in the US – meaning potential clinical trials for Alzheimer's could start sooner – the drugs are letrozole (usually used to treat breast cancer) and irinotecan (usually used to treat colon and lung cancer).

The team of US researchers started by investigating how Alzheimer's altered gene expression in the brain.

They then searched a medical database called the Connectivity Map for drugs that reversed these changes in gene expression, as well as cross-referenced records of patients who had taken these medicines as part of cancer treatme

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