A new study observed a correlation between newly diagnosed diabetes and recent weight loss and an increased likelihood of pancreatic cancer.
Despite pancreatic cancers status as the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, there is a scarcity of research on high-risk groups; such data could help would be helpful in achieving early diagnoses, according to the authors of the present study.
The researchers identified data from the Nurses Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study; repeated exposure assessments were performed over 30 years. Pancreatic cancer cases were either self-reported or discovered during follow-up of participant deaths, which were determined through next of kin reports, the US postal service, or the National Death Index. Exposures were the duration of diagnosed diabetes and recent weight change; the main outcome was the hazard ratio (HR) of developing pancreatic cancer.
Final analysis included 112,818 women (mean age, 59.4 years) and 46,207 men (mean age, 64.7 years); 1,116 total pancreatic cancer incidents were identified. When adjusting for age, patients with recent-onset diabetes, compared to nondiabetic patients, were more likely to have pancreatic cancer (HR=2.97; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.31 to 3.82), as were long-standing diabetics (HR=2.16; 95% CI, 1.78 to 2.60). Compared to patients who did not lose weight, in age-adjusted analyses, the risk of pancreatic cancer was greater among patients with a weight loss of 1 to 4 pounds (HR=1.25; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.52), 5 to 8 pounds (HR=1.33; 95% CI, 1.06 to 1.66), and more than 8 pounds (HR=1.92; 95% CI, 1.58 to 2.32). Pancreatic cancer risk was significantly higher among recent-onset diabetes patients reporting a weight loss between 1 and 8 pounds (91 incident cases per 100,000 person years; 95% CI, 55 to 151; HR=3.61; 95% CI, 2.14 to 6.10) or more than 8 pounds (164 incident cases per 100,000 person-years; 95% CI, 114 to 238; HR=6.75; 95% CI, 4.55 to 10.00) compared to non-diabetic patients with no recent weight loss (16 cases per 100,000 person-years; 95% CI, 14 to 17). Pancreatic cancer incidence was greatest among recent-onset diabetes patients with weight loss whose body mass index was <25 kg/m2 before weight loss (400 incident cases per 100,000 person-years) or whose weight loss was unintentional based on increased physical activity or healthier dietary choices (334 incident cases per 100,000 person-years).
The study was published in JAMA Oncology.
This study demonstrates that recent-onset diabetes accompanied by weight loss is associated with a substantially increased risk for developing pancreatic cancer. Older age, previous healthy weight, and no intentional weight loss further elevate this risk, the authors concluded.
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New Onset Diabetes and Weight Loss Associated with Pancreatic Cancer Risk - DocWire News
