Connecting Cancer and Diabetes What connects them?

Cancer and diabetes are very different diseases, right? They can’t be linked? 

Well, yes and no. 

To start with, many people have both diabetes and cancer at the same time and those with type 2 diabetes (most common) are about twice as likely of developing liver or pancreatic cancer while running more-than-normal risk of developing colon, bladder and breast cancer. The best hospitals in Delhi will attest to the fact that many people who seek the best cancer treatment in Delhi from them also have diabetes. 

Women who have diabetes and breast cancer are at higher risk of mortality than women who have breast cancer alone while somehow men with diabetes seem to be at lower risk of developing prostate cancer. 

Continuous research suggests that none of this is random: from biology to risk factors to treatment options, clearly cancer and diabetes are intrinsically related.

 both: are disruptions of the body’s normal metabolism and this may could explain why obesity is a common major risk factor for both diseases. Excessive fat can  disrupt the process and increased inflammation too is a known trigger for both . Fat deposits located around internal organs will secrete chemicals and send signals which will make cells aggressive, galvanising tumor growth and also building insulin resistance, leading to type 2 diabetes. Some studies have also suggested  abnormally high levels of insulin can cause cancer while at the same time, a buildup of blood sugar is exactly what cancer cells are wait for. For cancer cancer cells, glucose is primary fuel, a well documented fact. 

Researchers demonstrated that cancer cells consume and metabolise glucose 200 times faster than the normal rate. In fact, PET scans are made to detect the presence of cancer in the body by detecting areas of high glucose consumption. By this logic, medication for lowering blood sugar in diabetics could also potentially fight cancer by reducing glucose. This is why many cancer researcher are closely looking at metformin, the most successful drug for treating type 2 diabetes. There is some evidence that diabetics who take metformin may be less prone to developing cancer, and, even if they contract the disease, they’ll be less likely to die from it. 

All of which points to the logic, even the necessity, of experts in both are working together. 

These signs are promising but more research has to be done, and is being done daily, to ensure the best outcomes for cancer patients