Diabetes Linked To Pancreatic Cancer Risk

According to a new analysis of 88 studies, those with diabetes have double the risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those who do not have the condition.
Researchers have suggested that diabetes is a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, but it is not clear whether diabetes comes first or pancreatic cancer. This new analysis says that for some, pancreatic cancer may be responsible for the development of diabetes.
However, experts say that the total overall risk for pancreatic cancer among diabetics is low.
"Our study demonstrated that there is an overall two-fold increase risk of pancreatic cancer in patients with diabetes mellitus," said Dr. Mehrdad Nikfarjam, senior lecturer and transplant surgeon at the University of Melbourne in Australia.
"The study also demonstrates that diabetes mellitus may be an early indicator of the development of pancreatic cancer in certain cases," said Nikfarjam. "Patients with diabetes mellitus that were analyzed had a seven-fold increased risk of being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within the first year of being diagnosed with diabetes.
"Studies have demonstrated that pancreatic cancer can produce certain substances that influence the way the body  handles insulin and blood sugar, resulting in diabetes," he said. "In some patients with pancreatic cancer and diabetes, the diabetes actually improves once the cancer is removed."
There could be a biological connection for diabetes to increase pancreatic cancer risk.
"It is thought that the chemical changes that occur in the body with type 2 diabetes can promote the growth of pancreatic cells and also result in damage that leads to the development of pancreatic cancer," Nikfarjam said. "Type 1 diabetes is similarly thought to be a risk factor, but to a lesser extent."
While the review found an association between diabetes and risk of pancreatic cancer, it did not prove that either disease causes the other.
One US expert says that these results are not unexpected.
"The conclusions from this meta-analysis are very consistent with those drawn at a [U. S. National Institutes of Health] workshop on the subject," said Dr. Robert Ratner, chief scientific and medical officer at the American Diabetes Association.
"Clearly there is a relationship between diabetes and pancreatic carcinoma, and it could go in either direction," he said. "Pancreatic cancer might cause diabetes or diabetes might cause pancreatic cancer."
Ratner said that with the risk of pancreatic cancer being so low, most people with diabetes should not worry.
Nikfarjam added, "The risk of developing pancreatic cancer overall remains very low, even in long-standing diabetic patients. These patients should not be alarmed. It is even possible that good blood sugar may lessen the risks."
Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at a very late stage and five year survival rates are less than 1 percent. Most patients with this type of cancer typically do not survive longer than four to six months after the initial prognosis.
Within the first year of diagnosis as a diabetic, the risk for pancreatic cancer was seven times higher than for someone without diabetes. The overall risk stays at a high level for a long time, but eventually after 10 years the risk decreases to 36 percent.
Reference: US News
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