Patients who have poorly controlled type-2 diabetes and colorectal cancer have worse outcomes than patients whose diabetes is controlled or patients without diabetes. Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes led to more right-sided tumors, more advanced cancer at diagnosis, diagnosis at a younger age, and poorer five year survival. Researchers at the Dallas Veterans Medical Center reviewed records of patients with colorectal cancer whose also had type 2 diabetes and matched them to a control group of colorectal cancer patients without diabetes.  Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes was defined as a HbA1c level of 7.5 percent or more. Patients who diabetes was well controlled were not much different than colorectal cancer patients without diabetes.  However, patients whose type 2 diabetes was poorly controlled -- as evidenced by a HbA1c level of 7.5 percent or more -- had a clinically more aggressive form of colorectal cancer. SOURCE: Ali A. Siddiqui et al.,Journal of Digestive Diseases and Sciences, published online April 12,2008.

One thought on “Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes Leads to Worse Outcomes for Colorectal Cancer”