Diabetes Associated with Decreased Risk of Prostate Cancer

CancerConsultants.com | 04.01.2009

Researchers from the Harlyne Norris Research Center in Los Angeles have reported that diabetes is associated with a lower risk of prostate cancer in European Americans as well as most other racial groups. The details of this study appeared in the April 1, 2009 issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.[1]

Due in large part to the increasing frequency of obesity and physical inactivity, rates of type 2 diabetes are increasing around the world. In addition to the many other health problems that can be caused by diabetes, some studies have suggested that diabetes may increase the risk of some cancers.

In a study from Japan, men with a history of diabetes were 27% more likely to develop cancer than those without cancer. The specific types of cancer that were most strongly linked with diabetes in men were cancers of the liver, pancreas, colon, and kidney. In women there was no link between diabetes and risk of all types of cancer combined, but women with diabetes did have increased risks of stomach, ovarian, and liver cancers. It has been speculated that the increase risk of cancer in diabetics is related to levels of hormones such as insulin or insulin-like growth factor I.

In contrast to these findings, it has been shown that men of European ancestry with diabetes have a lower risk of prostate cancer than nondiabetics. The current study included 86,303 European-American, African-American, Latino, Japanese-American, and Native Hawaiian men. A total of 5,941 men in this large cohort had prostate cancer. Diabetics had a 19% lower incidence of prostate cancer than nondiabetics. The reduction of risk was 35% in European Americans and 11% among African Americans. Prostate specific antigen levels were also lower in diabetics than in nondiabetics. Diabetics were screened 44.7% of the time compared with 48.6% for non-diabetics. These authors concluded: “Diabetes is a protective factor for prostate cancer across populations, suggesting shared risk factors that influence a common mechanism.”

Comments: These are interesting findings that may ultimately lead to discovering what the protective mechanisms are in diabetics that lead to a protective effect against prostate cancer.

Reference:

[1] Kevin M, Wasters BE, Stram DO, et al. Association of diabetes with prostate cancer risk in multiethnic cohort. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2009;169:937-945.

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