Diabetes, obesity and cancer risk

Both studies appeared in the March issue Cancer, Causes, and Control

One study examined how the incidence of cancer is related to diabetes, obesity or abnormal blood lipids 0-10 years prior to the diagnosis of cancer in 19,756 cases of cancer in 147,324 subjects. Diabetes was significantly more common prior to diagnosis in patients with liver, pancreatic, colon and urinary tract/bladder cancer and in patients with breast cancer diagnosed with diabetes 0–4 years prior to the cancer diagnosis. Obesity was significantly more common in patients with endometrial, colon and kidney cancer and with breast cancer above the age of 60 years in those where obesity was diagnosed close to the diagnosis of cancer. High blood lipids were significantly more common in patients with ovarian cancer and less common in patients with breast cancer.

The objective of the second study was to assess the association between metabolic risk factors and colorectal neoplasm in 1,771 diagnosed adenoma patients and 4,667 polyp-free subjects. High waist circumference, blood pressure, and serum triglyceride levels were associated with an increased risk of colorectal adenoma. Metabolic syndrome (MS) was associated with an increased risk of adenoma. The association between MS and colorectal adenoma was observed regardless of advanced/low-risk adenoma, and multiplicity. Central obesity, triglyceride level, and MS are risk factors for colorectal adenoma.