Diabetics with lung cancer tend to live longer than non-diabetics

Tue, 18 Oct 2011
New research from Norway has revealed that diabetic lung cancer patients usually live longer than those patients without diabetes. After risk factors were taken into account, the survival rates for patients with lung cancer and diabetes mellitus in the study showed that almost twice as many lung cancer patients without diabetes died compared to those with diabetes.

The scientists from Trondheim University and the Norwegian University of Science and Technology, whose work was published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, examined survival rates for 1,677 lung cancer patients both with and without diabetes from different studies and registries in Norway.

They found that the one-year survival rate for patients with lung cancer and diabetes was 43 per cent as compared with 28 per cent for patients without diabetes. The two-year survival rates were shown to be 19 per cent and 11 per cent respectively, while the three-year rates were 3 per cent and 1 per cent respectively. However, the scientists admitted that the findings needed more research, and that the metabolic condition was not a justifiable reason for withholding regular cancer therapy.

The report stated that "Patients with lung cancer with diabetes mellitus have an increased survival compared with those without diabetes mellitus."

It added "Standard therapy should not be withheld from patients with diabetes mellitus provided they are otherwise fit, even if it may be considered a significant comorbidity."

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