Scientists have linked type 2 diabetes to an increased risk of cancer

People with type 2 diabetes are more likely to experience cancer, and the gap with people without diabetes has widened in recent years. The difference was especially noticeable for obesity-related cancers. The study results were presented at the annual conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Scientists analyzed data from the entire Danish adult population from 1996 to 2022. Over 27 years, 75.5 thousand first cases of cancer were identified among people with type 2 diabetes, and more than 635 thousand among people without diabetes.

From 2010 to 2022, the overall cancer incidence among men with diabetes was 12 percent higher than among men without the disease. For women, the difference reached 22 percent. In 1996-2009, the figures were 9 and 15 percent, respectively.

The association was particularly strong with obesity-associated cancers. They were found 45 percent more often in men with diabetes, and 30 percent more often in women. The incidence of colorectal cancer was 17 percent higher in men and 14 percent higher in women.

Differences were also found for lung cancer: its incidence was 23 percent higher among men and 25 percent higher among women with diabetes.

Scientists emphasize that the study does not prove that diabetes directly causes cancer. The association may be influenced by obesity, physical activity, and other factors.