Type 2 diabetes mellitus increases the risk of multiple health conditions, including various forms of cancer; however, the mechanisms responsible for this association remain unclear. A recent study published in the journal BMC Medicine explores the risk of cancer development in diabetics. Study: Diabetes and further risk of cancer: a nationwide population-based study.
Image Credit: Sebastian Kaulitzki / Shutterstock.com Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a metabolic disease that is caused by both genetic and environmental factors. Large epidemiological studies have indicated a higher risk of liver, pancreas, uterus, colon and rectum, breast, and bladder cancers in individuals with diabetes.
Diabetes is associated with microvascular disease, the most common manifestation being diabetic retinopathy (DR), which is the most significant single cause of loss of vision in middle age. Multiple factors contribute to DR, including high blood sugar, high levels of toxic advanced glycation end-products, and the activation of several pathways that are also common to the development of cancers. Common phenomena like oxidative stress, inflammation, vascular abnormalities, and new blood vessel formation are also shared between both cancers and DR.
Thus, better glycemic control could reduce cancer incidence in this population. The current retrospective study involved analyzing data from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), the Taiwan Cancer Registry (TCR), and the National Death .
