Barcelona: Adults with type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop cancer if the condition is not regularly screened, according to a study of 11,945 people in six European countries. In a presentation at the 13th European Breast Cancer Conference, Dr Anna Janasana, a postdoctoral researcher in the Nutrition and Cancer Multimorbidity Group at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, said that breast and bowel (or ‘opposite’ colorectal) ) Cancers, for which routine population screening is available in many countries, such as lung, ovarian and prostate cancers, do not have national screening programs and are more likely to be diagnosed in people with type 2 diabetes when the cancer starts . Spread (metastasis) beyond the original tumor to other parts of the body.
“Our results underline the importance of paying special attention to patients with pre-existing diseases of the heart, blood vessels or metabolism, such as type 2 diabetes, so that signs of cancer can be detected at an earlier stage when it is more likely to be treated successfully, she said. As of now, it is not known whether people with a pre-existing cardiometabolic disease such as diabetes, heart disease or stroke are at higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer.
Dr Janasana and colleagues identified 11,945 cases of cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study among 400,577 participants between 1992 and 2012. They looked at cases where patients already had cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, both or neither of these, and were analyzed by cancer that was diagnosed (breast and colorectal cancer) and screening for cancer. for which there were no population-based screening programs (all other cancers) in the six European countries included in the study.
Overall, during an average (median) follow-up of 15 years, of the 11,945 people diagnosed with cancer, 87% did not have pre-existing cardiometabolic diseases when they were diagnosed with cancer, 5% had cancer A pre-existing diagnosis of heart disease occurred in 7% of those diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and 1% in those diagnosed with both heart disease and type 2 diabetes. A total of 2,623 people had breast cancer and 1,722 had colorectal cancer. For these two cancers, no statistically significant association was found between later stage at diagnosis and pre-existing cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes.
However, for 7,400 cases of undiagnosed cancer, the researchers found that those who had pre-existing type 2 diabetes had a 26% increased risk of being diagnosed when their cancer had metastasized, compared to those who did not. who didn’t already have it. -Existing cardiometabolic conditions. Twenty-six cases were detected before cancer had spread and 41 cases were detected after they had metastasized.
“The good news is that for patients with breast or colorectal cancer, national screening programs often detect the cancer before it begins to spread, both for those without a pre-existing diagnosis of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. Our The findings underscore the importance of attending screening when invited,” Dr Janasana said. and cancer. Currently, cancer screening guidelines do not include recommendations for cancer screening among people with cardiometabolic diseases. It may be necessary for those involved in health care and policy making to consider whether the recommendations require any adjustments in the context of cancer screening. In addition, health professionals should pay special attention to people with pre-existing cardiometabolic conditions. Our findings suggest that it may be worth developing interventions and treatments to target common pathways involved in these noncommunicable diseases.”
Lifestyle factors such as diet, alcohol consumption, exercise and body weight are known to be associated with the onset of both cancer and cardiometabolic disease. The high blood glucose levels involved in diabetes have been shown to increase cell signaling by vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which may lead to more advanced cancers and decreased survival. Other biological mechanisms that cancer and cardiometabolic disease share include inflammation caused by obesity, a condition called oxidative stress, which can damage DNA and cells, and malfunctions in the activity of sex hormones, or insulin-like growth factors. -1, which is involved in pre- and postnatal growth, or leptin, which is involved in regulating fat storage.
The strengths of the study are that it included a large number of people from several European countries and included validated, standard methods for cancer diagnosis. Limitations are that only the first nonfatal coronary event was provided to EPIC centers, not multiple centers; For example, there was no data on how diabetes was managed if metformin was used, which is associated with a lower risk of heart and blood vessel problems and some cancers; Four of the EPIC participating countries could not be included in the study because of a lack of data on cancer stage and on health problems related to diabetes and heart disease. Dr Laura Biganzoli, President of EBCC13 and Director of the Breast Center at Santo Stefano Hospital, Prato, Italy, was not involved in the research.
She said: “These findings, which come from the long-running EPIC study, provide additional valuable evidence for the usefulness of national screening programs for breast and bowel cancer. Dr Janasana’s presentation showed that screening in is successful in detecting particular cancers. An early stage independently of pre-existing cardiometabolic conditions. Unfortunately, this is not the case for other cancers, for which there are no national screening programs, and which present with cardiometabolic disease. Patients are often found in advanced stages.” This is important information to be shared with the medical community but unfortunately, at this stage, there is little to be implemented in this population, other than to recommend participation in pre-existing screening programs. No recommendations on specific monitoring procedures can be given.”
(Disclaimer: Except for the title, this story has not been edited by Zee News staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)