Cancer Mortality Rates Increased for Older Seniors With T2DM

FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2023 (HealthDay News) — For people with type 2 diabetes, cancer mortality rates are increased for those aged 75 and 85 years and with specific cancers, according to a study published online Jan. 24 in Diabetologia.

Suping Ling, from the University of Leicester in the United Kingdom, and colleagues examined trends in all-cause, all-cancer, and cancer-specific mortality rates in a cohort of individuals aged 35 years and older who had newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.

The researchers found that from 1998 to 2018, there was a decrease in all-cause mortality rates at all ages among 137,804 individuals during a median follow-up of 8.4 years; cancer mortality rates decreased for 55- and 65-year-olds and increased for 75- and 85-year-olds (average annual percentage changes [AAPCs], −1.4, −0.2, 1.2, and 1.6 percent, respectively). AAPCs were higher in women versus men (1.5 versus 0.5 percent), in the least versus the most deprived (1.5 versus 1.0 percent), and in those with morbid obesity versus normal body weight (5.8 versus 0.7 percent); upward trends in cancer mortality rates were seen in all subgroups. During the whole study period, people with type 2 diabetes had more than a 1.5-fold increased risk for colorectal, pancreatic, liver, and endometrial cancer mortality compared with the general population.

“Our findings underline the growing cancer burden in people with type 2 diabetes, particularly in older individuals, and highlight the need to prioritize cancer prevention, research and early detection and management in this population, especially for colorectal, pancreatic, liver, and endometrial cancer,” the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industry.