Relationship between type 2 diabetes and pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus and cancer are conditions that constitute a serious problem for the health of the world’s population, and their co-existence in the same person is becoming increasingly common. Glucose metabolism and the presence of insulin in inflammatory situations appear to be the main factors driving this association, where hyperinsulinemia has been shown to contribute to an increase in risk of association between type 2 diabetes and cancer. Therefore, administering lower levels of exogenously administered insulin to patients with type 1 diabetes would decrease their risk of developing cancer when compared to patients with type 2 diabetes. The results from animal experiments seem promising in terms of pharmacological treatment.