Concerned that your diabetes could making you more vulnerable to dying from prostate cancer? Yes, diabetes sufferers should be concerned about a potential shorter life span, but not as of a result of prostate cancer (CaP).

In the Journal of Clinical Oncology (September 10, 2008), Dr. Matthew Smith and his colleagues reported on the association of diabetes and death in men treated for prostate cancer (CaP) with radiotherapy and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

They performed a meta-analysis and noted an inverse relationship between diabetes and CaP. They utilized the data collected from RTOG 92-02 in which men with CaP were randomized to radiotherapy with either 4 months of ADT or 24 months of ADT. The primary endpoint was cause of death.

There were 1,551 men enrolled in the study; 763 received short-term ADT and, 758 long-term ADT. Median age was 70 years and those men with diabetes had significantly greater body weight as well as lower PSA levels. When they performed a univariate analysis they found that suffering with diabetes significantly increased the all-cause and non-CaP mortality, but not CaP mortality. Their analysis included age, race, Gleason score, tumor stage, PSA, treatment arm and weight. Tumor stage, Gleason score, age, greater weight and treatment arm were associated with CaP mortality.

In both treatment arms diabetes was associated with greater all-cause and non-CaP mortality. Diabetes did not increase CaP mortality.

Dr. Smith and his colleagues concluded that the association of greater weight, not diabetes increased CaP mortality. Lose the weight and extend your life.

Smith MR, Bae K, Efstathiou JA, Hanks GE, Pilepich MV, Sandler HM, Shipley WU, J Clin Oncol. 2008 Sep 10;26(26):4333-9
10.1200/JCO.2008.16.5845

PubMed Abstract
PMID: 18779620

Joel T Nowak MA, MSW