Biomedical Letters

Diabetes and Cancer: A Review

Shailendra Paswan, Bo Feng*

Department of Endocrinology, Shanghai East Hospital, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai 200120, China

Abstract

Diabetes and cancer are common chronic conditions, and their co-existence in the same individual is not frequent. Type 2 diabetes mellitus is an independent risk factor for several types of cancers such as that of pancreatic, liver, colorectal, breast, endometrial, renal and female reproductive organs. Several epidemiological cohort and case control studies have clearly supported it but relative risk of prostate cancer is decreased in male patients. Many other factors that influence the risk of cancer in diabetes are hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, obesity, increased oxidative stress while anti-diabetic drugs have minor effect on cancer risk (except biguanide eg.metformin). This review article will summarize the evidence of link between diabetes and cancer and its causes.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus, cancer, insulin, metformin

Received September 26, 2015 Revised October 18, 2015 Accepted October 29, 2015

*Correspondence: Bo Feng Email: fengbo@medmail.com.cn Contact: +86 133-0192-1056