November 14, 2023 – People with diabetes had a 47% increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in comparison with people without diabetes, in accordance with results of a giant recent study. The results showed that a colonoscopy dramatically reduced the danger.
The Resultspublished today in JAMA network openedsuggest that colonoscopies are particularly essential for individuals with diabetes. People diagnosed with diabetes within the last five years are at biggest risk of colorectal cancer, in accordance with the study. This suggests that screening must be a part of an individual's health care routine after being diagnosed with diabetes.
In a study involving people from 12 southeastern states between 2002 and 2009, researchers analyzed data from 54,597 individuals who had contributed health data for not less than two years. People self-reported their diabetes status, although researchers attempted to only include individuals with type 2 diabetes, it is feasible that some people within the study had type 1 diabetes. The average age of the study participants was 51 years; 64% were women; greater than half of them had incomes of lower than $15,000 per 12 months; and 66% of them were African American.
Among people within the study who had diabetes, the danger of developing colorectal cancer was not strongly influenced by their race or ethnicity, gender, weight or income level, the study showed.
Although race didn’t predict whether individuals with diabetes would develop colorectal cancer, the findings are particularly essential because most individuals within the study were African American. The authors noted that African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes and colon cancer. Medical research studies often struggle to recruit people of color, leading to an absence of information to guide healthcare priorities and decisions.
The study also provided essential clues for people newly diagnosed with diabetes. People who were diagnosed with diabetes throughout the last 5 years had a very increased risk of developing colorectal cancer in comparison with individuals who had been diagnosed for five to 10 years.
The authors concluded that increasing colonoscopy referrals in diabetic patients, particularly those newly diagnosed, could significantly reduce the impact of colorectal cancer. According to current guidelines, most individuals should start colon cancer screening at age 45 CDC.