Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us

Download Mobile App




Hormone Levels of Diabetic Men Not Related to Prostate Cancer Risk

By LabMedica International staff writers
Posted on 21 Aug 2019
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by high blood sugar levels over a prolonged period and is conventionally associated with an increased risk of cancer; however, inverse associations of diabetes with prostate cancer are well described.

Prostate cancer is the development of cancer in the prostate, a gland in the male reproductive system. More...
The mechanisms of the connection between DM and cancer are unclear, although hormonal factors including alterations in sex hormone and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) concentrations due to metabolic disturbances have been hypothesized to play a role.

Scientists at the University of Western Australia (Perth, Australia) analyzed data from 3,149 older men (mean age, 77 years) participating in the Perth-based Health in Men Study. Men provided fasting blood samples to assess sex hormones, IGF-I levels, glucose and advanced glycation end (AGE) products as potential mediators of the association between diabetes and prostate cancer over a mean follow-up of 12 years. Within the cohort, 450 men had diabetes at baseline and 315 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer during follow-up. In a subset of 2,440 men with fasting insulin and glucose data, 253 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer.

The team found that compared with men without diabetes, men with diabetes had a higher body mass index (BM) (mean, 27.5 kg/m² versus 26.5 kg/m²), lower testosterone (mean, 11.4 nmol/L versus 13.4 nmol/L) lower dihydrotestosterone (mean, 1.21 nmol/L versus 1.47 nmol/L) and lower sex hormone binding globulin (mean, 38.2 nmol/L versus 43.3 nmol/L), which were all statistically highly significant. They found that diabetes was associated with a lower prostate cancer risk after adjusting for conventional risk factors (standardized HR = 0.63). The association persisted after adjusting for testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estradiol and sex hormone binding globulin. Adjusting the model for IGF-I or its binding proteins 1 and 3, or for glucose, also did not alter the association.

Yi X. Chan, MBBS, an Endocrinologist and first author of the study, said, “A high frequency of hypogonadotropic hypogonadism has been reported in men with type 2 diabetes. This is in keeping with lower androgen levels observed in men with diabetes in this cohort. Despite this, the role of androgens in the development of prostate cancer is still unclear.”

The authors noted that prostate cancer is an age-related cancer. Since their population consisted of older men and diabetes is associated with increased mortality, it is possible that their results may be affected by competing risks or biased toward men who have favorable biologic or lifestyle factors. Whilst the competing risk for death was taken into account in this study, residual bias may still be present. The study was published on July 23, 2019, in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

Related Links:
University of Western Australia


New
Gold Member
Collection and Transport System
PurSafe Plus®
Collection and Transport System
PurSafe Plus®
New
Pipette
Accumax Smart Series
New
Silver Member
PCR Plates
Diamond Shell PCR Plates
Read the full article by registering today, it's FREE! It's Free!
Register now for FREE to LabMedica.com and get access to news and events that shape the world of Clinical Laboratory Medicine.
  • Free digital version edition of LabMedica International sent by email on regular basis
  • Free print version of LabMedica International magazine (available only outside USA and Canada).
  • Free and unlimited access to back issues of LabMedica International in digital format
  • Free LabMedica International Newsletter sent every week containing the latest news
  • Free breaking news sent via email
  • Free access to Events Calendar
  • Free access to LinkXpress new product services
  • REGISTRATION IS FREE AND EASY!
Click here to Register








Channels

Hematology

view channel
Image: New research points to protecting blood during radiation therapy (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Pioneering Model Measures Radiation Exposure in Blood for Precise Cancer Treatments

Scientists have long focused on protecting organs near tumors during radiotherapy, but blood — a vital, circulating tissue — has largely been excluded from dose calculations. Each blood cell passing through... Read more

Immunology

view channel
Image: The VENTANA HER2 (4B5) test is now CE-IVDR approved (Photo courtesy of Roche)

Companion Diagnostic Test Identifies HER2-Ultralow Breast Cancer and Biliary Tract Cancer Patients

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in Europe, with more than 564,000 new cases and 145,000 deaths annually. Metastatic breast cancer is rising in younger populations and remains the leading cause... Read more

Technology

view channel
Image: Conceptual design of the CORAL capsule for microbial sampling in the small intestine (H. Mohammed et al., Device (2025). DOI: 10.1016/j.device.2025.100904)

Coral-Inspired Capsule Samples Hidden Bacteria from Small Intestine

The gut microbiome has been linked to conditions ranging from immune disorders to mental health, yet conventional stool tests often fail to capture bacterial populations in the small intestine.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2025 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.