Chapter 15 - Cancer in diabetes: Who is who?, Chronic Complications of Diabetes Mellitus: Current Outlook and Novel Pathophysiological Insights

Abstract

The diabetic population is at increased risk of suffering certain site-specific cancers. The nature of the connections linking the appearance of cancer to diabetes and vice versa is unknown. The challenge of diabetes management may become a defiance if the patient is diagnosed with cancer because diabetic patients suffer more advanced cancers and have worse prognosis, challenging personalized medicine. Here, we summarize the potential contribution of factors that link diabetes to cancers categorized into metabolic, hormonal, immune, and microbiome alterations, the potential interference of antidiabetic and antineoplastic treatments with both diseases, and their reciprocal interference. Research to understand the molecular mechanisms that link diabetes to cancers will benefit cancer prevention and management. Diabetic patients represent a selected population for cancer screening strategies and early marker detection. For patient management, diabetes poses on cancer problems of metabolism (glycemic/lipidemic controls), signaling (altered insulin pathways) immunity, and drug interference that deserves special attention.