People who have diabetes at the time they are diagnosed with cancer are more likely to die early than those without diabetes, concludes research published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes). The research is by Kristina Ranc, University of Copenhagen and Steno Diabetes Center, Gentofte, Denmark, and colleagues. The researchers conclude that patients with both diabetes and cancer constitute a particularly vulnerable group, and efforts are needed to reduce cancer-related mortality among these patients.

While the research base on the links between diabetes and cancer continues to grow, little previous research has addressed the relation to different diabetes treatment types, and findings differ among different studies, including on the link between diabetes duration and mortality of cancer patients relative to the non-diabetic cancer population.