Diabetes and Cancer: A Twisted Bond

Overview

Journal Oncol Rev

Specialty Oncology

Date 2024 Jun 5

PMID 38835644

Authors

Mihai Cosmin Stan

Doru Paul

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This paper presents an overview of the interconnection between various factors related to both cancer and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, chronic inflammation, and obesity are involved in the development and progression of both diseases but, strong evidence for a direct causal relationship between diabetes and cancer, is lacking. Several studies described a relationship between hyperglycemia and cancer at the cellular, tissular and organismic levels but at the same time recent Mendelian randomization studies proved a significant causal relationship only between hyperglycemia and breast cancer. On the other hand, the association between both hyperinsulinemia and obesity and several cancer types appears to be robust as demonstrated by Mendelian randomized studies. Metabolic alterations, including the Warburg effect and excessive glucose consumption by tumors, are discussed, highlighting the potential impact of dietary restrictions, such as fasting and low-carb diets, on tumor growth and inflammation. Recent data indicates that circulating branched-chain amino acids levels, may represent novel biomarkers that may contribute to both better diabetes control and early pancreatic cancer detection. Understanding the underlying mechanisms and shared risk factors between cancer and T2DM can provide valuable insights for cancer prevention, early detection, and management strategies.

Citing Articles

Repurposing metabolic regulators: antidiabetic drugs as anticancer agents.

Dhas Y, Biswas N, M R D, Jones L, Ashili S Mol Biomed. 2024; 5(1):40.

PMID: 39333445 PMC: 11436690. DOI: 10.1186/s43556-024-00204-z.

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