People with type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of developing lethal cancers, including liver and pancreatic cancer, with women experiencing the most significant rises, according to recent research cited by The Guardian. 

The study, analyzing health records from 95,000 individuals, found that women diagnosed with type 2 diabetes had nearly twice the risk of pancreatic cancer and almost five times the risk of liver cancer. Men also faced higher risks, with a 74% increase in pancreatic cancer and nearly a fourfold rise in liver cancer risk in the five years following a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

For bowel cancer, the risk was slightly higher, with women’s risk increasing by 34% and men’s by 27% compared to those without diabetes.

Owen Tipping, a medical student involved in the study, explained, “Diabetes and obesity are associated with similar cancer types,” adding that their research focused on the impact of diabetes after adjusting for obesity.

While previous studies have linked obesity to 13 types of cancer, many of which are also common in people with type 2 diabetes, it has been challenging to determine if diabetes itself raises the risk of these cancers.

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The study, which used data from the UK Biobank, compared 23,750 people with newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes to over 70,000 controls without diabetes. Researchers accounted for the surge in cancer diagnoses shortly after a diabetes diagnosis due to increased medical testing by excluding cases reported within the first year.

Men have higher lifetime risk of liver, pancreatic cancer

The findings showed that, after five years, men recently diagnosed with type 2 diabetes had a 48% higher risk of obesity-related cancers compared to those without diabetes, while women had a 24% higher risk. However, diabetes did not appear to increase the risk of endometrial or post-menopausal breast cancer in women.

The study, which will be presented at the European Congress on Obesity in May, revealed that men have a higher lifetime risk of liver and pancreatic cancer than women in the UK.

Tipping noted that it is too early to say whether people with diabetes should undergo cancer screening but emphasized the importance of early detection of pancreatic cancer.

Although the exact mechanism linking diabetes and cancer remains unclear, researchers suspect that factors like high insulin levels, high blood glucose, and chronic inflammation may play a role. Hormones, insulin sensitivity, or variations in body fat could influence sex differences in cancer risk.

Sophia Lowes from Cancer Research UK highlighted the study's contribution to understanding the link between diabetes and cancer, stating, “This study helps increase our understanding of the link between diabetes and cancer. While many questions remain about how and why diabetes might cause cancer, research like this is vital in helping us better prevent, detect, and diagnose the disease.”

She also noted that maintaining a healthy weight and diet, along with avoiding smoking and reducing alcohol intake, are important steps in reducing cancer risk, as overweight and obesity are linked to at least 13 types of cancer.

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