Hidden mechanism connects cancer and diabetes

Date:
June 20, 2023
Source:
University of Copenhagen - The Faculty of Health and Medical
Sciences
Summary:
Insulin resistance is usually associated with type 2 diabetes. Now
researchers have found it in cancer patients and learned that it
can cause cancer to spread faster.


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FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Back in the 1920s, researchers discovered that cancer patients had sweet- smelling urine. First, the doctors were puzzled, but they soon realised
that it was a result of elevated blood sugar levels.

"This was one of the first things we learned about cancer patients,"
says Associate Professor Lykke Sylow.

The sweet-smelling urine suggested that cancer affects the body's
blood sugar level. But how? A new study is ready to answer that
question. Where previous studies have examined the connection between
cancer and insulin, Lykke Sylow and colleagues' new study is the first
to compile the best research on the topic, and the answer seems to be
clear: "In cancer patients, the cells do not respond well to the hormone insulin. It therefore takes more insulin to create the same effect in
cancer patients. If you suffer from insulin resistance, your body has to produce more insulin than usual to be able to regulate the blood sugar,"
says Lykke Sylow, who is one of the main authors of the new study.

And the body's ability to respond to insulin is impaired in both cancer patients and people with type 2 diabetes.

Symptoms of type 2 diabetes such as fatigue and increased thirst and
urination develop gradually and can therefore be hard to spot. And in
cancer patients, insulin resistance can be even harder to identify as
they already experience some of these symptoms, e.g. fatigue.

Insulin can cause cancer cells to multiply Aside from the negative
consequences of insulin resistance, the condition can also cause cancer
cells to multiply.

"We know from cell studies, animal studies and some human studies
that insulin is a growth hormone, and that it has the same effect on
cancer cells. That is, a high level of insulin can make cancer cells
grow faster," says the second main author of the study, Joan Ma`rmol,
and adds: "Of course, this can be a huge problem for cancer patients." Furthermore, insulin resistance can influence the build-up of proteins
in the muscles. That is, if the body fails to respond to insulin, it
will lose muscle mass and strength, and that is a huge problem for a
lot of cancer patients.

All in all, cancer and insulin resistance is a really bad combination.

Lykke Sylow hopes oncologists will begin to check patients' blood sugar
level - - even when it appears to be normal, because insulin resistance
can be hard to spot as the body will simply compensate by producing
more insulin.

"And if they do find that the patient suffers from insulin resistance,
they need to start treating it. We are able to treat insulin resistance
because we have in-depth knowledge of the condition -- we are just used
to associating it with type 2 diabetes." Aspects of the connection
require more research, though.

"The next step is trying to determine who develops insulin
resistance. Which cancer patients are at risk here? Do they have a
particular type of cancer or specific risk factors? Or is it perhaps
connected with the treatment?" Lykke Sylow says and adds: "And once we
have identified those at high risk of developing the condition, I hope
to see more long-term studies of insulin resistance treatment and whether
it has a positive effect on the patients." You can read the full study, "Insulin resistance in patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis," in Acta Oncologica.

* RELATED_TOPICS
o Health_&_Medicine
# Diabetes # Breast_Cancer # Cancer # Lung_Cancer #
Hypertension # Colon_Cancer # Brain_Tumor # Leukemia
* RELATED_TERMS
o Insulin o Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 o Diabetes_mellitus_type_1
o Diabetes o Cervical_cancer o Stomach_cancer o Prostate_cancer
o Colorectal_cancer

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Copenhagen_-_The_Faculty_of_Health_and
Medical_Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Joan M. Ma`rmol, Michala Carlsson, Steffen H. Raun, Mia K. Grand,
Jonas
So/rensen, Louise Lang Lehrskov, Erik A. Richter, Ole Norgaard,
Lykke Sylow. Insulin resistance in patients with cancer: a
systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Oncologica, 2023; 62
(4): 364 DOI: 10.1080/ 0284186X.2023.2197124 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620174455.htm

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