scholarly journals Review: Diabetes, Obesity, and Cancer—Pathophysiology and Clinical Implications

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-52 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iliana C Lega ◽  
Lorraine L Lipscombe

Abstract Obesity and diabetes have both been associated with an increased risk of cancer. In the face of increasing obesity and diabetes rates worldwide, this is a worrying trend for cancer rates. Factors such as hyperinsulinemia, chronic inflammation, antihyperglycemic medications, and shared risk factors have all been identified as potential mechanisms underlying the relationship. The most common obesity- and diabetes-related cancers are endometrial, colorectal, and postmenopausal breast cancers. In this review, we summarize the existing evidence that describes the complex relationship between obesity, diabetes, and cancer, focusing on epidemiological and pathophysiological evidence, and also reviewing the role of antihyperglycemic agents, novel research approaches such as Mendelian Randomization, and the methodological limitations of existing research. In addition, we also describe the bidirectional relationship between diabetes and cancer with a review of the evidence summarizing the risk of diabetes following cancer treatment. We conclude this review by providing clinical implications that are relevant for caring for patients with obesity, diabetes, and cancer and provide recommendations for improving both clinical care and research for patients with these conditions.

Author(s):  
Ranjit Unnikrishnan ◽  
Anoop Misra

AbstractThe advent and rapid spread of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID19) pandemic across the world has focused attention on the relationship of commonly occurring comorbidities such as diabetes on the course and outcomes of this infection. While diabetes does not seem to be associated with an increased risk of COVID19 infection per se, it has been clearly demonstrated that the presence of hyperglycemia of any degree predisposes to worse outcomes, such as more severe respiratory involvement, ICU admissions, need for mechanical ventilation and mortality. Further, COVID19 infection has been associated with the development of new-onset hyperglycemia and diabetes, and worsening of glycemic control in pre-existing diabetes, due to direct pancreatic damage by the virus, body’s stress response to infection (including cytokine storm) and use of diabetogenic drugs such as corticosteroids in the treatment of severe COVID19. In addition, public health measures taken to flatten the pandemic curve (such as lockdowns) can also adversely impact persons with diabetes by limiting their access to clinical care, healthy diet, and opportunities to exercise. Most antidiabetic medications can continue to be used in patients with mild COVID19 but switching over to insulin is preferred in severe disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ranjit Unnikrishnan ◽  
Anoop Misra

AbstractThe advent and rapid spread of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID19) pandemic across the world has focused attention on the relationship of commonly occurring comorbidities such as diabetes on the course and outcomes of this infection. While diabetes does not seem to be associated with an increased risk of COVID19 infection per se, it has been clearly demonstrated that the presence of hyperglycemia of any degree predisposes to worse outcomes, such as more severe respiratory involvement, ICU admissions, need for mechanical ventilation and mortality. Further, COVID19 infection has been associated with the development of new-onset hyperglycemia and diabetes, and worsening of glycemic control in pre-existing diabetes, due to direct pancreatic damage by the virus, body’s stress response to infection (including cytokine storm) and use of diabetogenic drugs such as corticosteroids in the treatment of severe COVID19. In addition, public health measures taken to flatten the pandemic curve (such as lockdowns) can also adversely impact persons with diabetes by limiting their access to clinical care, healthy diet, and opportunities to exercise. Most antidiabetic medications can continue to be used in patients with mild COVID19 but switching over to insulin is preferred in severe disease.


Author(s):  
Steven C. Moore ◽  
Charles E. Matthews ◽  
Sarah Keadle ◽  
Alpa V. Patel ◽  
I-Min Lee

Current physical activity guidelines recommend that adults perform at least 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity physical activity (e.g., brisk walking), or 75 minutes per week of vigorous-intensity activity (e.g., jogging), or an equivalent combination of these. In the United States and worldwide, many adults fail to meet these recommended activity levels, with deleterious consequences for health, including increased risk of some cancers. This chapter reviews the epidemiologic evidence for links between physical activity and cancer, emphasizing published meta-analyses and the results of a recent large consortium-based study. The authors find the evidence to be convincing that physical activity reduces risk of colon and female breast cancers, and probable that it reduces risk of kidney and endometrial cancers. Moreover, physical activity has been associated with lower risk of cancers of the bladder, liver, gastric cardia, head and neck, esophagus (adenocarcinoma), and myeloma, myeloid leukemia, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.


2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (8) ◽  
pp. 1529-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saara Bryk ◽  
Eero Pukkala ◽  
Anniina Färkkilä ◽  
Markku Heikinheimo ◽  
Leila Unkila-Kallio ◽  
...  

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to determine the incidence of new primary malignancies after adult-type granulosa cell tumor (AGCT) and the incidence of AGCT after breast and uterine cancer using nationwide population-based registry data.MethodsWe used the Finnish Cancer Registry to identify all patients diagnosed with AGCT in 1968 to 2013 (n = 986). The number of subsequent primary malignancies among women with AGCT and the number of AGCTs in women with previous breast or uterine cancer were compared with the expected number of cases and expressed as standardized incidence ratios (SIRs).ResultsThere were 122 cases of subsequent cancers diagnosed at least 6 months after the primary diagnosis of AGCT (SIR, 1.09; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91–1.3). In particular, the observed number of cancers of the soft tissue (SIR, 4.13; 95% CI, 1.33–12.8), thyroid (SIR, 3.42; 95% CI, 1.54–7.62), and leukemia (SIR, 2.67; 95% CI, 0.98–5.82) exceeded the number of expected cases. The SIR for breast cancers after AGCT was 1.26 (95% CI, 0.92–1.73), and the SIR for AGCT after breast cancer was 1.59 (95% CI, 1.04–2.29). The risk for subsequent AGCT was more than 2-fold in breast cancer patients younger than 50 years, and over 15 years after primary diagnosis.ConclusionsThere is an increased risk for thyroid and soft tissue cancer as well as leukemia after AGCT, which may be associated with late effects of carcinogenic treatments and possibly shared risk factors. After breast cancer, the risk for AGCT was higher, which may indicate a shared hormonal etiology.


2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 727-748 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily Jane Gallagher ◽  
Derek LeRoith

Obesity and type 2 diabetes are becoming increasingly prevalent worldwide, and both are associated with an increased incidence and mortality from many cancers. The metabolic abnormalities associated with type 2 diabetes develop many years before the onset of diabetes and, therefore, may be contributing to cancer risk before individuals are aware that they are at risk. Multiple factors potentially contribute to the progression of cancer in obesity and type 2 diabetes, including hyperinsulinemia and insulin-like growth factor I, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, adipokines and cytokines, and the gut microbiome. These metabolic changes may contribute directly or indirectly to cancer progression. Intentional weight loss may protect against cancer development, and therapies for diabetes may prove to be effective adjuvant agents in reducing cancer progression. In this review we discuss the current epidemiology, basic science, and clinical data that link obesity, diabetes, and cancer and how treating obesity and type 2 diabetes could also reduce cancer risk and improve outcomes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 153-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ami A. Shah ◽  
Livia Casciola-Rosen

Emerging data suggest tantalizing links between cancer and systemic inflammatory rheumatic syndromes. In scleroderma, patients may have an increased risk of cancer, secondary to chronic inflammation and damage from the disease, malignant transformation promoted by immunosuppressive therapies, a shared susceptibility to both cancer and autoimmunity, or a common inciting exposure. However, it is increasingly recognized that a subset of patients develop cancer around the time that scleroderma clinically manifests, raising the question of cancer-induced autoimmunity. In this review, we discuss data suggesting a mechanistic link between cancer and the development of scleroderma, and the clinical implications of these findings.


Neurographics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 228-235
Author(s):  
S. Naganawa ◽  
T. Donohue ◽  
A. Capizzano ◽  
Y. Ota ◽  
J. Kim ◽  
...  

Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a familial cancer predisposition syndrome associated with germline mutation of the tumor suppressor gene 53, which encodes the tumor suppressor p53 protein. Affected patients are predisposed to an increased risk of cancer development, including soft-tissue sarcomas, breast cancer, brain tumors, and adrenocortical carcinoma, among other malignancies. The tumor suppressor gene TP53 plays an important, complex role in regulating the cell cycle, collaborating with transcription factors and other proteins. The disruption of appropriate cell cycle regulation by mutated TP53 is considered to be the cause of tumorigenesis in Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Appropriate surveillance, predominantly by using MR imaging, is used for early malignancy screening in an effort to improve the survival rate among individuals who are affected. Patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome are also at increased risk for neoplasm development after radiation exposure, and, therefore, avoiding unnecessary radiation in both the diagnostic and therapeutic settings is paramount. Here, we review the epidemiology, genetics, imaging findings, and the current standard surveillance protocol for Li-Fraumeni syndrome from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network as well as potential treatment options.Learning Objective: Describe the cause of second primary malignancy among patients with Li-Fraumeni syndrome.


2020 ◽  
pp. 174462952096194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Femke Scheffers ◽  
Xavier Moonen ◽  
Eveline van Vugt

Background: Persons with an intellectual disability are at increased risk of experiencing adversities. The current study aims at providing an overview of the research on how resilience in adults with intellectual disabilities, in the face of adversity, is supported by sources in their social network. Method: A literature review was conducted in the databases Psycinfo and Web of Science. To evaluate the quality of the included studies, the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used. Results: The themes: “ positive emotions,” “ network acceptance,” “ sense of coherence” and “ network support,” were identified as sources of resilience in the social network of the adults with intellectual disabilities. Conclusion: The current review showed that research addressing sources of resilience among persons with intellectual disabilities is scarce. In this first overview, four sources of resilience in the social network of people with intellectual disabilities were identified that interact and possibly strengthen each other.


2003 ◽  
Vol 27 (08) ◽  
pp. 301-304
Author(s):  
Gavin Reid ◽  
Mark Hughson

Aims and Method We conducted a postal questionnaire survey of the practice of rapid tranquillisation among 215 consultant psychiatrists in the West of Scotland, before and after the withdrawal of droperidol by the manufacturer. Results One hundred and eighty questionnaires (84% of those sent) were returned. Droperidol had been used extensively, often combined with lorazepam, for rapid tranquillisation. The main replacement suggested for droperidol was haloperidol. About half of the respondents to our survey chose to comment on the withdrawal of droperidol. More than half of the comments were unfavourable, including lack of an adequate replacement and lack of consultation with the psychiatric profession. Clinical Implications The abrupt withdrawal of droperidol, partly for commercial reasons, was regrettable. There was no time for an adequate evaluation of possible replacement medications and a lack of consultation with the profession regarding the impact on clinical care.


Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2506
Author(s):  
Mark van Barele ◽  
Bernadette A. M. Heemskerk-Gerritsen ◽  
Yvonne V. Louwers ◽  
Mijntje B. Vastbinder ◽  
John W. M. Martens ◽  
...  

Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBC) occur more frequently in younger women and do not express estrogen receptor (ER) nor progesterone receptor (PR), and are therefore often considered hormone-insensitive. Treatment of premenopausal TNBC patients almost always includes chemotherapy, which may lead to premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and can severely impact quality of life. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is contraindicated for patients with a history of hormone-sensitive breast cancer, but the data on safety for TNBC patients is inconclusive, with a few randomized trials showing increased risk-ratios with wide confidence intervals for recurrence after HRT. Here, we review the literature on alternative pathways from the classical ER/PR. We find that for both estrogens and progestogens, potential alternatives exist for exerting their effects on TNBC, ranging from receptor conversion, to alternative receptors capable of binding estrogens, as well as paracrine pathways, such as RANK/RANKL, which can cause progestogens to indirectly stimulate growth and metastasis of TNBC. Finally, HRT may also influence other hormones, such as androgens, and their effects on TNBCs expressing androgen receptors (AR). Concluding, the assumption that TNBC is completely hormone-insensitive is incorrect. However, the direction of the effects of the alternative pathways is not always clear, and will need to be investigated further.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document