Diabetes can increase risk of bladder cancer recurring

Tue, 22 Nov 2011
A new study by scientists in South Korea have claimed that having diabetes could heighten the chances of the recurrence of bladder cancer, as well as promoting its progression. The research argued that diabetes could be an independent predictor of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) recurring or progressing.

The study, which involved 251 patients and was published in the International Journal of Urology, found that those who had diabetes when being treated for this form of bladder cancer faced a twofold increased risk of the disease recurring, and a ninefold increased risk of it progressing as compared with those patients who did not suffer from diabetes.

It was also revealed that the diabetes patients tended to be older and have a higher rate of hypertension than the participants without diabetes. In addition, the patients with high haemoglobin A1c levels experienced a substantially greater risk of multiple tumours and had a lot more intravesical therapy carried out.

Although the research was somewhat limited by its sample size, retrospective design and the low frequency of tumour recurrence and progression, the report stated that "close follow-up and intravesical therapy may be beneficial in patients with DM [diabetes mellitus], especially those with poor glycaemic control."

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