Individuals with type 2 diabetes who are at higher risk of certain cancers could be identified by a simple blood test, this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) (Madrid, 9-13 September) will hear. People with type 2 diabetes are known to be at higher risk of developing cancers associated with obesity (OR cancers), including breast, kidney, womb, thyroid, and ovarian cancer, as well as gastrointestinal cancers, including colorectal and pancreatic cancer, and multiple myeloma. It is thought that chronic low-grade inflammation, which is prevalent in both obesity and type 2 diabetes, plays a significant role in cancer development in both conditions.
Mathilde Dahlin Bennetsen, of the Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Odense, Denmark, and colleagues explored whether differences in levels of proinflammatory cytokines, immune system proteins that heighten inflammation, would help identify individuals with type 2 diabetes who are particularly at risk of OR cancers. Understanding which individuals are at higher risk for these cancers would allow for more targeted and effective monitoring and early detection, potentially improving outcomes through earlier intervention and personalized treatment." Mathilde Dahlin Bennetsen, Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital The study involved 6,466 (40.
5% female, median age 60.9 years) members of the Danish Centre for Strategic Research in Diabetes (DD2) cohort, .