MSGID: 1:317/3 64927ce9   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Hidden mechanism connects cancer and diabetes    
      
     Date:   
         June 20, 2023   
     Source:   
         University of Copenhagen - The Faculty of Health and Medical   
         Sciences   
     Summary:   
         Insulin resistance is usually associated with type 2 diabetes. Now   
         researchers have found it in cancer patients and learned that it   
         can cause cancer to spread faster.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Back in the 1920s, researchers discovered that cancer patients had sweet-   
   smelling urine. First, the doctors were puzzled, but they soon realised   
   that it was a result of elevated blood sugar levels.   
      
   "This was one of the first things we learned about cancer patients,"   
   says Associate Professor Lykke Sylow.   
      
   The sweet-smelling urine suggested that cancer affects the body's   
   blood sugar level. But how? A new study is ready to answer that   
   question. Where previous studies have examined the connection between   
   cancer and insulin, Lykke Sylow and colleagues' new study is the first   
   to compile the best research on the topic, and the answer seems to be   
   clear: "In cancer patients, the cells do not respond well to the hormone   
   insulin. It therefore takes more insulin to create the same effect in   
   cancer patients. If you suffer from insulin resistance, your body has to   
   produce more insulin than usual to be able to regulate the blood sugar,"   
   says Lykke Sylow, who is one of the main authors of the new study.   
      
   And the body's ability to respond to insulin is impaired in both cancer   
   patients and people with type 2 diabetes.   
      
   Symptoms of type 2 diabetes such as fatigue and increased thirst and   
   urination develop gradually and can therefore be hard to spot. And in   
   cancer patients, insulin resistance can be even harder to identify as   
   they already experience some of these symptoms, e.g. fatigue.   
      
   Insulin can cause cancer cells to multiply Aside from the negative   
   consequences of insulin resistance, the condition can also cause cancer   
   cells to multiply.   
      
   "We know from cell studies, animal studies and some human studies   
   that insulin is a growth hormone, and that it has the same effect on   
   cancer cells. That is, a high level of insulin can make cancer cells   
   grow faster," says the second main author of the study, Joan Ma`rmol,   
   and adds: "Of course, this can be a huge problem for cancer patients."   
   Furthermore, insulin resistance can influence the build-up of proteins   
   in the muscles. That is, if the body fails to respond to insulin, it   
   will lose muscle mass and strength, and that is a huge problem for a   
   lot of cancer patients.   
      
   All in all, cancer and insulin resistance is a really bad combination.   
      
   Lykke Sylow hopes oncologists will begin to check patients' blood sugar   
   level - - even when it appears to be normal, because insulin resistance   
   can be hard to spot as the body will simply compensate by producing   
   more insulin.   
      
   "And if they do find that the patient suffers from insulin resistance,   
   they need to start treating it. We are able to treat insulin resistance   
   because we have in-depth knowledge of the condition -- we are just used   
   to associating it with type 2 diabetes."  Aspects of the connection   
   require more research, though.   
      
   "The next step is trying to determine who develops insulin   
   resistance. Which cancer patients are at risk here? Do they have a   
   particular type of cancer or specific risk factors? Or is it perhaps   
   connected with the treatment?" Lykke Sylow says and adds: "And once we   
   have identified those at high risk of developing the condition, I hope   
   to see more long-term studies of insulin resistance treatment and whether   
   it has a positive effect on the patients."  You can read the full study,   
   "Insulin resistance in patients with cancer: a systematic review and   
   meta-analysis," in Acta Oncologica.   
      
       * RELATED_TOPICS   
             o Health_&_Medicine   
                   # Diabetes # Breast_Cancer # Cancer # Lung_Cancer #   
                   Hypertension # Colon_Cancer # Brain_Tumor # Leukemia   
       * RELATED_TERMS   
             o Insulin o Diabetes_mellitus_type_2 o Diabetes_mellitus_type_1   
             o Diabetes o Cervical_cancer o Stomach_cancer o Prostate_cancer   
             o Colorectal_cancer   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   University_of_Copenhagen_-_The_Faculty_of_Health_and   
   Medical_Sciences. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. Joan M. Ma`rmol, Michala Carlsson, Steffen H. Raun, Mia K. Grand,   
      Jonas   
         So/rensen, Louise Lang Lehrskov, Erik A. Richter, Ole Norgaard,   
         Lykke Sylow. Insulin resistance in patients with cancer: a   
         systematic review and meta-analysis. Acta Oncologica, 2023; 62   
         (4): 364 DOI: 10.1080/ 0284186X.2023.2197124   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620174455.htm   
      
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