Study: Diabetics With High-Risk Colon Cancer Have Higher Mortality Rate

Patients with diabetes who are diagnosed with high-risk stage II and stage III colon cancer have a significantly higher risk of cancer recurrence and mortality, according to Harvard Medical School researchers.

The researchers reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology on their study of 3,759 patients with high-risk stage II and stage III colon cancer treated between 1988 and 1992 throughout the United States. Among this group, 287 patients were identified as having diabetes mellitus.

"Compared with patients without a history of diabetes, those with diabetes had a 42 percent increased risk of death from any cause and 21 percent increased risk for recurrence" of the colon cancer, the researchers reported.

They said toxicity related to chemotherapy for the colon cancer was similar between those with and without diabetes, although patients with diabetes experienced an increase in treatment-related diarrhea.

"Patients with diabetes mellitus and high-risk stage II and stage III colon cancer experienced a significantly higher rate of overall mortality and cancer recurrence, even after adjustment for other predictors of colon cancer outcome," the researchers concluded. "These results underscore the need for further research to understand the mechanism that underlies this relation."

Other Sources: Journal of Clinical Oncology