Diabetic complication severity index directly associated with Cancer risk, claims research
A recent groundbreaking study
revealed that cancer risk escalates in individuals with severe diabetic complications.
This is more pronounced in individuals who have an earlier onset of diabetes,
as per results that were published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
Diabetes is a global pandemic,
causing potential healthcare and economic burdens. It can cause multiple
complications like vascular and nonvascular issues. Apart from the healthcare burdens,
it also causes an increased risk of cancers. Research shows that the
accumulation of advanced glycation end products is leading to the development
of diabetic complications and also cancer. As there is ambiguity on the
association between diabetic complications and cancer risk, researchers from
Taiwan have conducted a study to assess the association between the degree of
disease severity and the risk of cancer in patients with diabetes.
A 13-year retrospective cohort
study was conducted using the National Health Insurance Research Database from
2000 through 2013. The study also included newly diagnosed diabetics. All
the vascular and metabolic complications were collected to develop an adapted
diabetic complication severity index (aDCSI) that ranges from 0-13. The aDCSI
includes seven categories of complications: cardiovascular disease, stroke,
peripheral vascular disease, retinopathy, nephropathy, neuropathy, and
metabolism, with a total score of 0–13. All the individuals were followed up
from the diabetes onset to the detection of cancer or death. Cancer diagnosis
due to any reason was the outcome of interest.
Findings:
- Within the mean follow-up period of 9 years, the
rates of cancer incidence per 100,000 person-years were 482.0, 585.4, 662.1,
724.4, 748.5, and 815.2 among men with aDCSI scores of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5+,
respectively. - Similarly, the cancer rates in women were 358.9,
436.4, 501.3, 515.6, 544.2, and 611.1 with aDCSI scores of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and
5+, respectively. - The risk of cancer was 1.7- to 1.9-fold for the
top vs bottom quartiles of aDCSI in diabetic onset age of 40–44. - However, among patients with diabetic onset age
of 60–64, the associations between the severity of diabetic complications and
cancer risk were attenuated in women. - There is an 8–17% and 7–20% increase in the risk
of cancers with higher aDCSI in males and females, respectively.
Thus, the study is the first of
its kind to establish an association between the severity of diabetic
complications and the risk of cancer. This can help evaluate the cancer risk
using glucose levels that vary considerably in individuals based on cancer
outcomes. The researchers also encourage enhanced cancer screening
protocols targeting the high-risk group of individuals. They also suggest using
the adapted diabetic complication severity index (aDCSI) as a tool for early
detection.
Further reading:
Tseng YH, Tsan YT, Chen PC.
Association between severity of diabetic complications and risk of cancer in
middle-aged patients with type 2 diabetes. J Diabetes Investig.
Published online November 22, 2024. doi:10.1111/jdi.14364.
