Travels with Headcase

In researching serious Diabetes-Mellitus Type 2 risk factors, I found a real jaw dropper with the new article titled, New Study Claims Link Between Type 2 Diabetes And Cancer. (New Study, 2010)  Several sites are now running the news article, which disseminated via Diabetes UK Foundation.  Since the study was recently completed at the Tel Aviv University Medical School, I found a different take at an Israeli news org, which gave more detailed statistical information from the study.

• Overall:  Diabetes-Type 2 patients had a 25 percent increase in risk of cancer in women, but not for men.
• Regarding the men, there was a curious finding of note; the study found that men with DM-2 were less likely than men without DM-2 to develop prostate cancer, thus lowering risk for prostate cancer. (Israeli, 2010)
• Population tested: 16,721 Diabetic Patients in the Maccabi Health Maintenance Organization, of whom 1,639 had cancer.

• These cases were correlated with 7,945 cancer patients among the HMO’s overall 83,874 clients who are not diabetics.
• To make the findings from the Haartz site easier to digest I made a table:

Most cancers mentioned are in the GI system

This study confirms another hunch doctors have had for years; due to the very nature of diabetes and the long length of time that people have it may increase their lifetime risk for cancers.

Sources:

“Israeli study: Diabetic women have 25% greater risk of developing cancer” Apr 26, 2010 by Dan Even. Retrieved on Apr 30, 2010 from: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1165160.html

“New study claims link between Type 2 diabetes and cancer” 29 April 2010.  Retrieved on May 1, 2010 from: http://www.diabetes.org.uk/About_us/News_Landing_Page/New-study-claims-link-between-Type-2-diabetes-and-cancer/