Researchers have recently discovered why some type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients have an increased risk of developing some of the deadliest forms of cancer. When blood sugar levels are high, DNA is more prone to damage and is unable to heal well. This can increase a person's chance of developing cancer that includes ovarian, kidney, and breast cancer.
The team from the City of Hope, a research and treatment centre for cancer and diabetes in the US, made the discovery after comparing high blood sugar levels to normal and healthy blood sugar levels.
"It's been known for a long time that people with diabetes have as much as 2.5-fold increased risk for certain cancers," John Termini, a researcher at City of Hope in the US, told a news portal.
For a long time, scientists suspected hormonal dysregulation is the reason why the risk of cancer is high due to diabetes. "In people with Type 2 diabetes, their insulin is not effectively carrying glucose into cells," Termini told a news portal. Adding, "So the pancreas makes more and more insulin, and they get what's called hyperinsulinemia."
Researchers also reveal that the hormone insulin can cause cells to grow, which could also become cancerous. Many with diabetes tend to be overweight, which means the excessive amount of fat tissue can produce extremely high levels of adipokines.
Through their investigation, researchers examined a certain kind of damage in the form of chemically modified DNA bases, which is known as adducts. They discovered DNA adduct known as N2-(1-carboxyethyl)-2'-deoxyguanosine, or CEdG. They noticed it occured more regularly in the diabetic models than in mice or normal cells. "Exposure to high glucose levels leads to both DNA adducts and the suppression of their repair, which in combination could cause genome instability and cancer," Termini told a news portal.
The team also discovered two proteins are less active in diabetes and maybe the reason it is difficult for DNA to heal. The two proteins are the transcription factor HIF1a and the signalling protein mTORC1. With the help of these findings, researchers hope to find existing drugs that can reduce the risk of cancer in diabetes patients.
The study's findings will be presented at the American Chemical Society Fall 2019 National Meeting.
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