British studies show that cancer mortality is higher in people with type 2 diabetes than in the general population.
Cancer mortality in people with type 2 diabetes (acquired) is increased, compared with the general population, by 18% for all cancers in general, 9% for breast cancer and 2.4 times for colon cancer (direct) intestines, shows a new British scientific study. More generally, people with diabetes were at least 1.5 times more likely to die from colon, pancreatic, liver, and endometrial cancers.
The study highlights the need for young women with diabetes to be screened for breast cancer, especially women with a family history. Researchers from the University of Leicester and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, led by Associate Professor of Epidemiology Supin Ling, who published in the Diabetologia journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD), found that over a 20-year period (1998-2018) deaths from breast cancer increased, on average, by 4.1% per year among young women with diabetes.
The study analyzed data on nearly 138,000 people over the age of 35 who had type 2 diabetes and had been followed up for many years. Obese people, smokers, the elderly (over 75), and men are more likely than women to die from cancer. The researchers stated: “Our findings indicate that cancer has likely overtaken cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death in people with type 2 diabetes, especially the elderly, and highlights the need to prioritize cancer prevention in diabetics.”
The study did not include people with type 1 diabetes, but previous studies have shown that they are also at greater risk for certain types of cancer.
More Stories
Avian influenza virus found in cow's milk
What medical diagnostics should be performed annually?
Stress: the most stressful time of the day