Cancer Management and Research (Sep 2019)
The relationship between pancreatic cancer and type 2 diabetes: cause and consequence
Abstract
Yan Li1,2,*, Xiaohui Bian2,*, Shuyi Wei2, Meizhi He2, Yuelian Yang1 1Department of Gerontology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2The Second School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuelian YangDepartment of Gerontology, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, No. 253, Industrial Avenue, Haizhu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510280, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 1 366 057 4670Email [email protected]: Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating and lethal malignant disease and it is well known that there is a complex bidirectional relationship between PC and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In order to more deeply summarize the relationship between them, this article summarizes the epidemiological data on the relationship between PC and T2DM in the past 5 years, and further explains the mechanism of interaction between them. Meanwhile, it also summed up the effects of drug therapy for T2DM on PC and the impact of T2DM on surgical resection of PC. Epidemiological studies clearly indicate that the risk of PC is increased in patients with T2DM. But increasing epidemiological data points out that PC also acts as a cause of T2DM and new-onset T2DM is sign and consequence of PC. Insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, and chronic inflammation are the mechanisms of T2DM-Associated PC. Metformin decreases the risk of PC, while insulin therapy increases the risk of PC. Besides, studies have shown that T2DM decreases the survival in patients with PC resection.Keywords: pancreatic cancer, type 2 diabetes, bidirectional relationship
