Diabetes could be a warning sign of pancreatic cancer

Conclusion This study uses a large prescription database to investigate the link between diabetes and pancreatic cancer, looking at the timing of first diabetes prescription and change in drugs prescribed. Among people with type 2 diabetes, diagnosis of pancreatic cancer was linked with recent onset of diabetes or rapidly deteriorating diabetes. This suggests these could both be potential warning signs of hidden pancreatic cancer and indicate the need for more investigations. While diabetes has previously been linked with pancreatic cancer, the nature of the cause and effect relationship remains unclear. It could be that diabetes increases risk of the cancer, or it could be that recent onset or deterioration of diabetes is a symptom of the cancer. It had also previously been thought that incretin therapies could promote pancreatic cancer. However, it could be that incretin therapies and insulin therapies are often prescribed sooner in patients who have undiagnosed pancreatic cancer. As the authors make clear, it is probably pancreatic cancer that causes deterioration of diabetes. A limitation of this study is that it was carried out in two specific areas in Europe. Sociodemographic variations in diabetes or cancer prevalence, medical care or risk factors may mean the results are not fully applicable to the UK. The findings are also based on a prescription database, so only look at raw data on numbers. The researchers haven't delved further into the nature of the individual di...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Diabetes Cancer Source Type: news