There is more and more information being discovered about diabetes every day. A lot of the information is helpful and has led to great strides as far as getting to controlling the symptoms, arresting or reversing some symptoms or finding a cure for diabetes altogether.
There is other information that is just as helpful in the fight against diabetes, however not so positive. There has been a recent discovery regarding Cancer patients that have existing diabetes. In studying the link between the two most common diseases – diabetes and cancer - researchers have found a negative link. According to a report in a recent Journal of the American Medical Association, cancer patients that already have diabetes have a greater chance of dying than cancer patients that don’t have diabetes.
Researchers are trying to find the reason why this link and this situation exists by studying diaetes-related health problems and the link to cancer. One fact that they uncovered is that out of the approximately 24 million people in the United States who have diabetes, up to 18% of newly dignosed cancer patients have diabetes. Both ailments are extremely common, but until recently, researchers had not thought to organize the information in such a way that the link could be seen and researched.
Once that happened, researchers were able to start looking at the link. They discovered several reasons that individuals with cancer who also had diabetes might have a higher mortality rate. Diabetes causes tumors to grow faster, though researchers do not know why. Because diabetes can compromise the immune system, it might weaken their ability to withstand chemtherapy. People with diabetes may be diagnosed with cancer at a later stage because their doctors are concentrating on other symptoms.
There is more research ongoing regarding cancer and diabetes. While we await more information, it is important to be vigilant regarding your symptoms and work closely with your doctor to monitor your diabetes and make sure you do not have cancer. If you find that you do have cancer and diabetes, be sure to stay aware of and on top of your symptoms and treatment so that you have a long and happy life.
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