Pancreatic cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer and one of the leading causes of death in the US. While the risk of developing pancreatic cancer increases with age, research has suggested that people with diabetes and weight change are also at high risk. This study aims to evaluate the risk of pancreatic cancer associated with diabetes duration and weight change.
This cohort study included a total of 112,818 women (mean age 59.4 years) and 46,207 men (mean age 64.7 years). The incident cases of pancreatic cancers were identified and were compared with the presence of diabetes and recent weight change. The primary outcome of the study was hazard ratios (HRs) of developing pancreatic cancer.
A total of 1,116 cases of pancreatic cancer were reported. Patients with recent-onset diabetes had an age-adjusted HR for pancreatic cancer of 2.97 when compared with those with no diabetes. When compared with patients with no recent weight change, patients who lost 1-4 lb had an HR for pancreatic cancer of 1.25, who lost 5-8 lb. had an HR of 1.33, and those who lost more than 8 lb had an HR of 1.92.
The research concluded that patients with recent-onset diabetes and a recent episode of weight loss were at a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
Ref: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaoncology/article-abstract/2769304?resultClick=1
