Would type 2 diabetes be considered a specific risk factor for cancer, especially in women? Scientists from the University of Leicester have provided a clear answer.
Their conclusion is cause for concern. According to experts from the University of Leicester, women with type 2 diabetes have a “higher risk of dying from cancer”, around 18%. In detail, they would be 9% more likely to die of breast cancer and 2.4 times more likely to die of bowel cancer. At the same time, they also noticed that they were twice as likely to die from diabetes-related cancers like the liver, pancreas and endometrium.
“Our findings underscore the growing burden of cancer in people with type 2 diabetes, particularly in the elderly,” declared the authors of the study whose remarks were relayed by the Sun. In response to this finding, Dr Suping Ling of the Leicester Real World Evidence Unit reiterated the need to prioritize cancer prevention, research, early detection and management of cancer in women.
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A causal link already established in the past
This is not the first time that a link has been established between diabetes and cancer. A study published in 2017 found that almost 21,000 cases of cancer were caused by diabetes. More recently, in 2022, an article also highlighted the same cause and effect link. According to his findings, type 2 diabetes increased the risk of cancers and heart and kidney disease and caused them earlier.
Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes, with 90% of cases. It is characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, which is too high a level of glucose or sugar in the blood. After several years of evolution, complications may appear and serious damage may result from this disease, especially in the eyes, heart, nerves and kidneys. In France in 2020, more than 3.5 million people were treated with medication for diabetes, i.e. 5.3% of the population.
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