AACR: Diabetes Linked to Cancer Risk and Mortality

MONDAY, April 4 (HealthDay News) -- Diabetes appears to be associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer in men but an increased risk of other cancer types in both men and women, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research, held April 2 to 6 in Orlando, Fla.

In a prospective study, Gabriel Lai, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute in Rockville, Md., and colleagues evaluated 295,287 men and 199,665 women. The investigators found that diabetes was associated with an 8 percent increased risk for cancer among women and a 4 percent decreased risk for men. However, after excluding prostate cancer from the assessment, the investigators found that diabetes was associated with a 9 percent increased risk for cancer in men.

The investigators also found that diabetes was associated with an 11 percent increased risk of mortality in women and a 17 percent increased risk in men. In both men and women, diabetes was associated with a significant increase in risk for colon (hazard ratio [HR], 1.15), rectal (HR, 1.28), and liver cancers (HR, 2.40). In women, diabetes was associated with an increased risk for stomach (HR, 1.74), anal (HR, 2.44), and endometrial cancers (HR, 1.20). However, in men, diabetes was tied to an elevated risk for pancreatic (HR, 1.47) and bladder (HR, 1.10) cancers. In another study, Katherine McGlynn, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute, and colleagues found that metabolic syndrome was associated with an increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma.

"Follow-up studies to identify the biologic mechanisms involved should be performed to build upon confirmed findings," Lai said in a statement.

Abstract No. 947 Abstract No. 945More Information

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