Research led by the Steno Diabetes Center Odense shows that high levels of interleukin (IL)-6 predicted increased risk for obesity-related cancer in newly diagnosed people with type 2 diabetes.
Notably, other markers of inflammation, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), did not significantly predict cancer risk in these individuals.
People with type 2 diabetes are at higher risk for some types of cancers, typically those also associated with obesity. These include breast, kidney, womb, thyroid, and ovarian cancer, as well as gastrointestinal cancers and multiple myeloma.
“Understanding which individuals are at higher risk for these cancers would allow for more targeted and effective monitoring and early detection, potentially improving outcomes through earlier intervention and personalized treatment,” said presenting investigator Mathilde Dahlin Bennetsen, of the Steno Diabetes Center Odense, Odense University Hospital, Denmark, in a press statement.
Chronic inflammation for extended periods occurs in both type 2 diabetes and obesity and is also thought to have links to cancer. Bennetsen and colleagues aimed to assess this theory in their study.
The research, which will be presented at the upcoming European Association for the Study of Diabetes conference in Madrid, included 6,466 individuals from the Danish Centre for Strategic Research in Type 2 Diabetes cohort who had not previously been diagnosed with cancer. The age of the participants ranged from 52 to 68 years and 41% of the group were female.
At the beginning of the study, levels of the inflammatory markers IL-6, TNF-alpha and hsCRP were measured. These individuals were then followed up for a median period of 8.8 years.
During this time, 327 cases of obesity-related cancers were seen in this group. The researchers assessed whether higher levels of the three inflammatory markers increased a person’s risk for developing one of these cancers. They found that after correcting for possible confounding factors such as alcohol consumption, waist-circumference, self-reported physical activity, diabetes duration, lipid levels, and use of both lipid lowering and type 2 diabetes medication, levels of IL-6 at the beginning of the study significantly predicted cancer risk during follow up.
More specifically, a one standard deviation increase (log-transformed) in IL-6 levels at study initiation increased the risk of individuals with type 2 diabetes developing an obesity-related cancer during the study period.
There was a weak association between higher levels of TNF-alpha and hsCRP and cancer risk during follow up, but this was not statistically significant.
“Understanding that higher levels of inflammation can indicate a greater risk of certain cancers highlights the importance of regular check-ups and effective diabetes management,” noted Bennetsen.
