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Co-Managing Patients with Type 1 Diabetes and Cancer

  • Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (M Pietropaolo, Section Editor)
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Abstract

The life expectancy of people with type 1 diabetes is improving and now approaches that of those without diabetes. As this population ages, a growing number will be diagnosed with and treated for cancer. Cancer treatments can drastically affect insulin requirement and glycemic control through multiple mechanisms including high doses of glucocorticoids and targeted therapies that directly interfere with cellular pathways involved in the action of insulin. Patients with cancer frequently also have alterations in gastrointestinal motility or appetite and require supplemental enteral or parenteral nutrition. Few studies have evaluated these patients directly, but data on patients with and without diabetes suggest that glycemic control may play a larger role in cancer outcomes than is often recognized. Collaboration between the treating oncologist and diabetologist allows people with diabetes to receive the most effective therapies for their cancers without undue risk of hypoglycemia or adverse outcomes due to hyperglycemia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MD Anderson Cancer Center, Endocrine Neoplasia and Hormonal Disorders, 1400 Pressler St. Unit 1461, Houston, TX, 77030-4009, USA

    Conor J. Best, Sonali Thosani, Marjorie Ortiz, Celia Levesque, Sigi S. Varghese & Victor R. Lavis

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  2. Sonali Thosani
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Conor J. Best, Sonali Thosani, Marjorie Ortiz, Celia Levesque, Sigi S. Varghese, and Victor R. Lavis declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Treatment of Type 1 Diabetes

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Best, C.J., Thosani, S., Ortiz, M. et al. Co-Managing Patients with Type 1 Diabetes and Cancer. Curr Diab Rep 16, 73 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-016-0766-y

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