The occurrence of pancreatic and liver cancer is greater among diabetes patients. During the Third Annual Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Meeting (October 18, 2004), investigators presented findings based on whether individuals reporting a prior diagnosis of diabetes were more likely to have cancer. The study involved a comparison of 3288 men diagnosed with 12 different cancer types and 509 healthy individuals.

The results showed that patients with diabetes mellitus have 3 to 4 times the risk of liver cancer and >2 times the risk of developing pancreatic cancer, compared with nondiabetes patients. In the current study, however, patients with diabetes did not have increased risks for other cancer types, including cancers of the esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, lung, prostate, bladder, and kidney. The researchers noted that these findings were independent of the body mass index of the individuals.