Lower alpha fetoprotein and higher risk of hepatocellular carcinoma, study from the type 2 diabetes mellitus patients

The global incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has increased to more than 700,000 cases annually. HCC has emerged as the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide[1]. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is also a global health problem. In 2013, the International Diabetes Federation estimated that there were 380 million diabetics worldwide[2]. Seeing that the incidence of both HCC and T2DM are increasing rapidly, a subset of people must be affected with HCC and T2DM. Clinical data has shown an association between the presence of diabetes and higher incidence and poorer prognosis of HCC, which suggest that diabetes is an independent risk factor for the development of HCC[3].

Source: Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice - July 15, 2018 Category: Endocrinology Authors: Shaoling Yang, Lu Liu, Yili Luo, Ming Chen, Nan Li, Lu Xu, Yanru Wang, Ziwei Lin, Hong Li, Shen Qu Source Type: research