A nationwide Danish study highlights a growing disparity in cancer incidence among individuals with type 2 diabetes, with obesity-related cancers increasing more rapidly over the past 25 years, underscoring the importance of integrated cancer prevention in diabetes care.
A nationwide Danish study presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes meeting in Milan suggests that cancer is becoming a growing concern for people with type 2 diabetes, with the gap in incidence widening over the past 25 years.
Using health registry data covering the entire adult population of Denmark, researchers found that overall cancer incidence was 12% higher in men with type 2 diabetes and 22% higher in women with the condition in 2010 to 2022, compared with people without diabetes. In 1996 to 2009, the difference was smaller, at 9% for men and 15% for women, indicating that the disparity has increased over time.
The rise was especially pronounced for obesity-related cancers, which the researchers said were 45% more common in men with type 2 diabetes and 30% more common in women with the condition in the latest period. Among the most common cancers in this group, colorectal cancer was more frequent in both sexes, while postmenopausal breast cancer was also higher among women with type 2 diabetes. Prostate cancer was lower in men with diabetes, but lung cancer was higher in both sexes, with the increase particularly marked among women.
Tinne Lauberg of Steno Diabetes Centre Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, who led the research, said the findings underline the need to treat cancer prevention and early detection as part of long-term diabetes care. The American Cancer Society similarly notes that type 2 diabetes is linked with a higher risk of several cancers, including colorectal, liver, gallbladder, breast, pancreatic and endometrial cancers, with shared risk factors such as excess weight, inactivity and smoking. The Danish team stressed that its study was observational and was designed to describe patterns, not to prove that diabetes directly causes the differences it found.
Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical judgment, advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
