Diabetes raises risk of 20 cancers?

Diabetes is linked to an increased risk of more than 20 cancers, a Swedish study says.

The research, which followed 400,000 people with type 2 diabetes over almost half-a-century, found increased risk rates for 24 cancers. The highest were for pancreatic cancer and liver cancer, which were more than twice as common among the people with diabetes.

The researchers, from Lund University in Sweden, also looked at cancer rates in siblings and spouses to rule out genetic and other lifestyle factors, but found no elevated risk. That, they say, suggests the risk is associated with the metabolic changes that occur in diabetes.

One theory is that high levels of glucose and insulin increase growth of tumour cells.

The results are published in the International Journal of Cancer.

Follow NEWS.am Medicine on Facebook and Twitter