Background and objectives: A growing number of epidemiological studies have suggested that diabetes mellitus may increase cancer risk and is implicated in numerous other metabolic and inflammatory disorders. The increase in proinflammatory cytokines plays a major role in insulin resistance and leads to hypoalbuminemia and micro- and macrovascular diabetes complications, including kidney disease and anemia. This study aimed to investigate the utility of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), C-reactive protein (CRP), serum albumin level, hemoglobin, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) as biomarkers for cancer risk, and the biological implications of diabetes on the evolution and prognosis of oncological patients.
Material and methods: We conducted a retrospective, longitudinal, observational study on a total group of 434 patients, of which 217 were diagnosed with a form of cancer and type two diabetes as a comorbidity, and the other 217 were a control group without diabetes. These patients were admitted to the oncology clinic. In subgroups, the same number of patients was considered, depending on the location of the oncological pathology. Anemia, hypoalbuminemia, elevated lactate dehydrogenase, glycated hemoglobin, and C-reactive protein levels are more pronounced in subjects with type two diabetes and cancer.
Conclusions: The presence of diabetes negatively affects the clinical and biological prognosis of cancer patients.
Keywords: albumin; anemia; cancer; diabetes.