Diabetes Mellitus and Cancer Risk Factors
Summary
Diabetes mellitus, characterised by chronic hyperglycaemia and metabolic dysregulation, has been robustly linked to an elevated risk of multiple malignancies. Type 2 diabetes in particular is associated with increased incidence of cancers of the liver, pancreas, colon–rectum, breast and endometrium, while type 1 diabetes shows more modest site-specific associations. Core mechanisms include hyperinsulinaemia driving insulin-like growth factor signalling, chronic inflammation mediated by cytokines and adipokines, oxidative stress and aberrant lipid metabolism. Adiposity and related metabolic syndrome features amplify these pathways, creating a tumour-permissive microenvironment. Conversely, some cancer therapies and the physiological stress of malignancy can precipitate glucose intolerance or frank diabetes. The risk gradient spans prediabetes to overt diabetes, with dose–response relationships seen for glycaemic markers and cancer outcomes. Understanding these interconnections is essential for risk stratification, prevention strategies and optimised management of patients with coexisting diabetes and cancer.
Research from Nature Portfolio
A large prospective cohort study conducted in mainland China followed over 300 000 patients with type 2 diabetes for up to seven years and compared their cancer incidence with regional cancer registries. Results demonstrated a 15 % excess cancer risk in men and 25 % in women relative to the general population. Site-specific risks were markedly elevated for hepatocellular, colorectal, pancreatic and renal cancers in both sexes, with a notable increase in prostate cancer risk among affected men. These findings underline the importance of vigilant cancer surveillance and tailored screening protocols in people with long-standing type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes Mellitus and Cancer Risk Factors publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in diabetes mellitus and cancer risk factors across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Hyperglycaemia: chronic elevation of blood glucose concentration.
Insulin resistance: diminished cellular responsiveness to insulin’s metabolic actions.
Standardised incidence ratio: ratio of observed to expected cancer cases within a specified population.
Prediabetes: intermediate state of dysregulated glucose metabolism below the diabetic threshold.
References
- Diabetes mellitus induces a novel inflammatory network involving cancer progression: Insights from bioinformatic analysis and in vitro validation. Frontiers in Immunology (2023).
- Glycemic status, insulin resistance, and mortality from lung cancer among individuals with and without diabetes. Cancer & Metabolism (2024).
- Associations between Diabetes Mellitus and Selected Cancers. International Journal of Molecular Sciences (2024).
- Cancer risk among patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a population-based prospective study in China. Scientific Reports (2015).
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