Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

A global review involving almost 20 million people has shown that having diabetes significantly raises the risk of developing cancer, and for women the risk is even higher.

Picture of a woman's hands with a tool to extract blood from her finger

Image courtesy of Shutterstock

Researchers from The George Institute for Global Health also found diabetes (type 1 and type 2) conferred an additional risk for women, compared to men, for leukaemia and cancers of the stomach, mouth and kidney, but less risk for liver cancer.

The findings published in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes [EASD]) highlight the need for more research into the role diabetes plays in developing cancer. They also demonstrate the increasing importance of sex specific research.

Find out more (University of Oxford website)