Study explores link between diabetic complications and colorectal cancer

A recent study, published in the journal CANCER showed that patients with complicated diabetes face an 85% higher risk of early death from any cause and a 41% higher risk of death from colorectal cancer, particularly pronounced in women and those with early-stage colorectal cancer, emphasizing the impact of diabetes severity on colorectal cancer prognosis.

Researchers from National Taiwan University, analyzed data spanning from 2007 to 2015 from the Taiwan Cancer Registry Database, which is linked to health insurance and death records. Their focus was on 59,202 individuals with stage I–III colorectal cancer who had undergone potentially curative surgery to remove their tumors. The results were enlightening.

Compared to individuals without diabetes, those with uncomplicated diabetes faced a slightly elevated but generally insignificant risk of all-cause and cancer-specific death. In contrast, individuals with complicated diabetes had a significantly higher risk, with 85% greater odds of death from any cause and 41% higher odds of death from cancer. These associations were particularly noticeable in women and in patients with early-stage colorectal cancer.

Moreover, colorectal cancer recurrence risk was also influenced by diabetes. Patients with uncomplicated or complicated diabetes had a 10–11% higher risk of colorectal cancer recurrence compared to those without diabetes. The study suggests that the severity of diabetes may play a crucial role in colorectal cancer outcomes.

Reference: “Diabetic severity and oncological outcomes of colorectal cancer following curative resection: A population‐based cohort study in Taiwan.” Hsin‐Yin Hsu, Yih‐Jong Chern, Min‐Shu Hsu, Tzu‐Lin Yeh, Ming‐Chieh Tsai, Jing‐Rong Jhuang, Lee‐Ching Hwang, Chun-Ju Chiang, Wen-Chung Lee, and Kuo-Liong Chien. CANCER; Published Online: October 23, 2023 (DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34975).