Type 2 diabetes linked to double cancer risk

A study monitoring Danish adults from 1996 to 2022 has found that individuals with type 2 diabetes face a cancer risk twice as high as the general population. The incidence rate was reported at 16.6 cases per 1,000 people with type 2 diabetes, compared to 7.7 cases per 1,000 in those without the condition.

Researchers noted an acceleration in cancer cases among type 2 diabetics over the last 25 years. Those with the condition are particularly vulnerable to obesity-related cancers. Between 2010 and 2022, obesity-related cancer rates increased by 45% in men and 30% in women with type 2 diabetes. Specific findings include an 8% higher prevalence of breast cancer in women, a 17% increase in colorectal cancer for men, and a 14% increase for women. Notably, the risk of pancreatic cancer is 2.5 times higher for those with type 2 diabetes.

Tine Laurberg, a senior researcher at Aarhus University Hospital, emphasized that while managing cardiovascular and kidney complications remains a priority, cancer must now be recognized as a major long-term complication of type 2 diabetes requiring increased attention in preventative care and early diagnosis.