Breast cancer and glucose intolerance

Breast cancer, insulin resistance and blood sugar dysregulation are associated, and more evidence for the breast cancer link with glucose intolerance is presented in a study just published in PLOS ONE (Public Library of Science). The authors used oral glucose tolerance tests (OGTT) to assess breast cancer patients at their initial diagnosis and during chemotherapy and found a persistent association:

"The overall incidences of total normal glucose tolerance, prediabetes, diabetes in female breast cancer patients at initial diagnosis and during chemotherapy were 24.1% and 38.5%, 50.6% and 28.1%, and 25.3% and 33.3%, respectively, and the differences of normal glucose tolerance and prediabetes instead of diabetes between the two groups were statistically significant. About 84% of the total diabetes and prediabetes in the female breast cancer patients at initial diagnosis and 79.7% of those during chemotherapy need to be diagnosed with OGTT."

It is fundamentally important to regulate blood glucose and insulin in oncologic case management since high glycation and insulin promote disease progression. The authors conclude:

"Breast cancer patients have high incidences of diabetes and prediabetes. After chemotherapy even with steroids, some breast cancer patients with abnormal glucose metabolism may even become normal. Isolated hyperglycemia 2 hours after glucose loading is common, and OGTT should be made for breast cancer patients at initial diagnosis and during chemotherapy."