medwireNews: Research suggests that the increased risk for diabetes seen among survivors of early-stage breast cancer may be driven by hormone therapy.
During an average 5.9 years of follow-up of 2246 survivors of early-stage or regionally advanced invasive breast cancer, the prevalence of diabetes rose from 6% in 2002 to 28% in 2015, with the rate exceeding the national norm from 2010 to 2013.
In multivariate analysis of a subgroup of 57 patients with and 448 without diabetes, use of hormone therapy increased the likelihood for diabetes 2.4-fold, and the researchers calculated that it accounted for 48% of diabetes cases in the cohort overall.
“Although cessation of treatment is not recommended because the survival benefits of hormone therapy outweigh the risks, preventive strategies aimed at lifestyle modifications may minimize the risk,” say Hatem Hamood and co-researchers from the Leumit Health Centre in Karmiel, Israel.
They also recommend that breast cancer survivors who are given hormone therapy be monitored for diabetes.
The findings are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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