High Blood Sugar Levels Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk
CHICAGO, IL -- May 16, 2000 --- Diabetes and
related health factors such as abnormal blood sugar levels, obesity and elevated
serum uric acid concentrations have long been associated with higher
cardiovascular disease risk.
A new
study by Northwestern University Medical School researchers has also linked
these health conditions to increased risk for pancreatic cancer. Results of the
study, which appear in the May 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical
Association, showed that risk for
pancreatic cancer rose incrementally with an individual's blood glucose level.
The association between pancreatic
cancer and blood glucose levels also was independent of known pancreatic cancer
risk factors, such as cigarette smoking and age, said Susan M. Gapstur,
assistant professor of preventive medicine at the Medical School and lead author
of the article.
"Because the
prevalence of type-II diabetes and obesity, including childhood obesity, is
steadily increasing, identifying a potential causal association between
hyperglycemia and pancreatic cancer could have important preventive and
prognosticative implications for this cancer," Dr. Gapstur said.
In the United States, pancreatic
cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death. Pancreatic cancer is
difficult to diagnose, and tumors usually are detected after they have spread in
the body. Thus, prognosis for pancreatic cancer is poor.
Dr. Gapstur and colleagues expanded on an earlier
American Heart Association study of nearly 40,000 men and women who were
screened for cardiovascular disease risk and followed up for an average of 25
years.
They analyzed the data to
determine the association between blood glucose levels and risk for pancreatic
cancer death among study participants who did not have diabetes when they
entered the study, including 139 individuals who died of pancreatic cancer
during the follow-up period.
The
analysis used blood sugar levels measured one hour after participants had
consumed a drink containing 50 grams of glucose and factored in other pancreatic
cancer risk factors, such as age, race, smoking, obesity and blood uric acid
level.
The researchers also assessed
the association of pancreatic cancer death in those who had diabetes at the
beginning of the study.
Results of
the study showed a definite relationship between plasma glucose level and risk
for dying of pancreatic cancer in both men and women who had elevated blood
glucose levels. The study also indicated a positive association between
cigarette smoking and risk for pancreatic cancer death.
In addition, the researchers observed over a twofold
greater risk for pancreatic cancer death among men who had diabetes when they
entered the study.
"These results
underscore the importance of research focusing on developing effective
strategies aimed at modifying lifestyle factors, such as diet and physical
activity, that are associated with hyperglycemia and diabetes," Dr. Gapstur
said.
Dr. Gapstur's co-researchers
on the study were Peter Gann, M.D., associate professor of preventive medicine;
William Lowe, M.D., associate professor of endocrinology; Kiang Liu, professor
of preventive medicine; Laura Colangelo; and Alan Dyer, professor of preventive
medicine, at Northwestern University Medical School.
