The connection is a two-way street
Diabetesandpancreatic cancerhave a cause-and-effect relationship.
Diabetes causes changes in cells that can lead to cancer due to the damaging effects ofhigh blood sugar.
It also explains how pancreatic cancer is treated and prevented in people with diabetes, and vice versa.
MoMo Productions / Getty Images
Withtype 1 diabetes, the pancreas no longer makes an adequate supply of insulin to regulate blood glucose.
Insulin has several functions in the body.
First, it allows glucose to enter cells to provide them with energy.
Second, it increases the uptake of glucose in the liver for future use.
When these functions are disrupted, glucose can rise in the blood to harmful levels.
Hyperglycemia causes damage to tissues and organs in several ways.
Free radicals directly damage cells on thegenetic leveland triggerchronic inflammationthat can cause cells to change over time.
One of the possible consequences of this is cancer.
What Is the Risk?
Even so, the overall risk is considered low.
While most do not progress to cancer, some do.
Pancreatic cancer can affect other types of cells, known as beta cells.
These cells in the pancreas are responsible for the production, storage, and release of insulin.
Under normal circumstances, apoptosis allows old cells to be replaced with new ones.
For many, diabetes is the first sign of pancreatic cancer.
Risks
The relationship between diabetes and pancreatic cancer is an insidious one.
With that said, the risk of cancer varies significantly by whether diabetes is long-standing or new-onset.
Without a properly functioning pancreas, the ability to control blood sugar becomes all the more complex.
bang out 3c diabetes can manifest as new-onset diabetes in people with pancreatic cancer.
Prevention
There isn’t a surefire way to prevent pancreatic cancer.
Some studies suggest that it may even help reduce the risk of getting pancreatic cancer.
A Word From Verywell
Pancreatic cancer is often “invisible” until the disease is advanced.
It is for this reason that you should seek screening if you are at high risk of pancreatic cancer.
Having diabeteseven new-onset diabetesis not an indication for screening for pancreatic cancer.
If in doubt about your risk of pancreatic cancer, speak with a healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
There are usually no symptoms in the early stages of pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is thought to be the result of a combination of genetics, lifestyle, and environmental factors.
National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program.Cancer fast stats: pancreatic cancer.
American Diabetes Association.Insulin basics for diabetes.
doi:10.26508/lsa.201900573
Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research.New-onset diabetes: a clue to the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer.
2021;6(3):100155. doi:10.1016/j.esmoop.2021.100155
National Cancer Institute.Could a diabetes diagnosis help detect pancreatic cancer early?
2018 Sep;155(3):730-9.e3.
doi:10.1053/j.gastro.2018.05.023
American Cancer Society.Signs and symptoms of pancreatic cancer.
American Cancer Society.Pancreatic cancer risk factors.
