Researchers have found a link between late-onset diabetes and the risk of developing breast cancer, it was announced today.
Post-menopausal women with type II diabetes are 27 per cent more likely to get breast cancer than those who do not have the disease, the report says.
The finding comes from research at the International Prevention Research Institute (i-PRI), Lyon, France, which analysed the results of 40 separate studies – involving 56,000 women across four continents – that examined the potential link between breast cancer and diabetes.
Researchers found that the increase in breast cancer risk seems to be restricted to post menopausal women with type II diabetes. They found no link between women of pre-menopausal age or those with type I diabetes.
The authors, writing in the British Journal of Cancer, also suggest that a high Body Mass Index (BMI), which is often associated with diabetes, may be an underlying contributing factor.
Professor Peter Boyle, President of i-PRI and lead author of the study, said: “Our study found a significantly increased risk of breast cancer in women who had diabetes, which was restricted to those of post-menopausal age.
“We don’t yet know the mechanisms behind why type II diabetes might increase the risk of breast cancer.
“On the one hand, it’s thought that being overweight, often associated with type II diabetes, and the effect this has on hormone activity may be partly responsible for the processes that lead to cancer growth. But it’s also impossible to rule out that some factors related to diabetes may be involved in the process.”
Martin Ledwick, head information nurse at Cancer Research UK, said: “From this study, it’s not clear whether there’s a causal link between diabetes and the risk of breast cancer in post menopausal women.
“But as we know that having a high BMI can contribute to an increased risk of both type II diabetes and breast cancer, it makes sense for women to try and maintain a healthy weight.”
British Journal of Cancer September 13 2012
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