Women having diabetes are at increased risk for cancer
Researchers from The George Institute for Global Health found that people with diabetes are at significantly increased risk of developing cancer, and for women the risk is even higher.
Risk is higher for women for leukaemia and cancers of the stomach, mouth and kidney; but have lesser risk for liver cancer.
47 studies around the world were analyzed to arrive at this conclusion. The findings published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) highlight the need for more research into the role diabetes plays in developing cancer.
Lead author Dr. Toshiaki Ohkuma, research fellow with The George Institute for Global Health, said: ‘This review provides strong evidence for a link between diabetes and the risk of developing cancer. We have demonstrated for the first time that women with diabetes are more likely to develop any form of cancer, and have a significantly higher chance of developing kidney, oral and stomach cancers and leukaemia.’
The report adds that the number of people with diabetes has doubled globally in the last 30 years but we still have much to learn about the condition. ‘It’s vital that we undertake more research into discovering what is driving this, and for both people with diabetes and the medical community to be aware of the heightened cancer risk for women and men with diabetes,’ notes the research.
Dr Sanne Peters of The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford, who was co-author, said there were several possible reasons why women were subject to an excess risk of cancer.
One of the reasons could be that women are in a state of impaired glucose tolerance (called prediabetes) on average for two years longer compared to men.
‘Historically we know that women are often undertreated when they first present with symptoms of diabetes, are less likely to receive intensive care and are not taking the same levels of medications as men. All of these could go some way into explaining why women are at greater risk of developing cancer. But, without more research we can’t be certain.’
