eMedicineLive

Earlier studies have indicated that there is an increased risk of developing colorectal, liver and pancreatic cancers in women suffering from diabetes. Now, a new study has implicated the increased risk of breast cancer on diabetes. The research, carried out by Dr. Jeffrey Johnson, from the University of Alberta in Edmonton, along with his colleagues, has found that patients with diabetes have blood sugar levels which provide an ideal platform for the cancer cells to grow. Apart from this, both cancer and diabetes share some of the risk factors which include smoking, leading a sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy dietary habits. So there are increased chances of detecting breast cancer in women suffering from diabetes. Moreover, once a patient is diagnosed with diabetes, she has to undergo a battery of other tests. Therefore, the likelihood of detecting breast cancer increases in these women.

 

The researchers performed a population based retrospective cohort study of about 170,000 women in British Columbia, 50 percent of whom were suffering from diabetes. These women were followed up for a period of four to five years and it was noticed that about 1.4% of them were diagnosed with breast cancer. The researchers noticed that the incidence of developing breast cancer was slightly higher in postmenopausal women of older age who were suffering from diabetes compared to non- diabetic pre-menopausal women. Almost 30 percent of women who subsequently developed breast cancer were diagnosed with the condition within three months of being diagnosed to be a diabetic. 

 

The research, which has been published in the journal “Diabetes Care,” found that the incidence of diagnosis of breast cancer in women with diabetes decreased after the initial three to four months when it came at par with non- diabetic women. This strengthens the belief that the diagnosis of breast cancer was more likely due to a thorough examination by the physicians following the diagnosis of diabetes. Therefore, one cannot conclude that diabetes is responsible for the increased incidence of breast cancer in women.

 

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