Diabetes and Cancer, What Are the Odds?

Is there any significant connection between diabetes and cancer? The answer might surprise you.

A study conducted in 1998 by Frank B. Hu, M.D., (Department of Nutrition, Harvard School of Public Health) included over 100,000 women with type 2 diabetes, aged 30 through 55 years who were free of cancer at baseline in 1976. After 18 years of follow-up the study data provided support for the hypothesis that type 2 diabetes was associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer in women.

Similar results were published in 2004 by Steven S. Coughlin and al. (1). The research team studied in prospective a cohort of 467,922 men and 588,321 women who had no reported history of cancer at enrollment in 1982. The findings 16 years later suggested that diabetes was an independent predictor of mortality from cancer of the colon, pancreas, and breast in women. Diabetes was an independent predictor of mortality from cancer of the liver and bladder in men.

A meta analysis (2), conducted in 2005 examined 15 studies involving over 2 and a half million men and women and their findings strongly supported a relationship between diabetes and increased risk of colon and rectal cancer in both women and men.

Another study conducted by the National Cancer Institute (3) tracked the lifestyle and diet of more than 500,000 participants, age 50 to 71 for 11 years. The study results presented at the American Association for Cancer Research annual meeting in 2011, showed that women with diabetes (both type 1 and type 2 diabetes) have a 11% higher risk of dying from cancer. The risk for men was even higher (17%) even after controlling for two leading risk factors for diabetes, obesity and cigarette smoking. The study found that women with diabetes were more prone to develop stomach, anal, and endometrial cancer. Men with diabetes were at higher risk for pancreatic and kidney cancer, compared to men without diabetes. In both men and women, diabetes was linked to a higher colon, rectal and liver cancer risk.

The mechanism of the connection between diabetes and cancer is unknown. There is a hypothesis that the body’s inability to control insulin could cause both diabetes and cancer. Similar results were found in another recent study that involved people with type 2 diabetes. The data from this study showed a 25% higher risk of dying from cancer in the group with type 2 diabetes. The study also found a lower risk of death from prostate cancer. This might have to do with the lower testosterone levels that occur in people with diabetes.

In conclusion:

There is a statistically significant connection (ranging from 9%-25% depending on gender and type of cancer) between diabetes and cancer that needs to be further explored in terms of lifestyle changes, diet, and stress control adjustment.

The most important implication is to prevent diabetes from developing in the first place through lifestyle changes, and then maybe the number of newly diagnosed cancer patients will decline as well.

Reference:

1. Diabetes Mellitus as a Predictor of Cancer Mortality in a Large Cohort of US AdultsSteven S. Coughlin, Eugenia E. Calle, Lauren R. Teras, Jennifer Petrelli and Michael J. Thun, Am. J. Epidemiol. (2004) 159 (12): 1160-1167)

2. Diabetes Mellitus and Risk of Colorectal Cancer: A Meta-Analysis; Susanna C. Larsson, Nicola Orsini and Alicja Wolk, JNCI J Natl Cancer Inst (16 November 2005) 97 (22): 1679-1687

3. Gabriel Lai, Ph.D., cancer prevention fellow, U.S. National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Md.; Joel Zonszein, M.D., director, Clinical Diabetes Center, Montefiore Medical Center, New York City; April 3, 2011 presentation, American Association for Cancer Research, Orlando, Fla.

Copyright Dr. Nelly Stoyanova

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Author's bio: Dr. Nelly Stoyanova is a physician, medical researcher and health behavior expert. She studies the effects of stress on heart disease, type 2 diabetes and sleep. Her website: Belly Fat, Stress and Baby Boomers (http://www.stress-fat-heart-solutions-for-boomers.com) evaluates sources of stress for people over 50 and provides great tips to balance your day-to-day stress and stay healthy. Turn your life around and benefit from her expertise. For individual guidance sessions or to schedule a public speaking event use the Contact page or email at drnstoyanova@gmail.com

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