Can chemotherapy cause diabetes?

Can chemotherapy trigger diabetes?

Chemotherapy and your blood sugar

This is because of the side effects of chemotherapy, such as sickness, diarrhoea and loss of appetite. Some chemotherapy drugs, such as asparaginase and busulfan, can cause your blood sugar level to rise.

Why do cancer patients get diabetes?

Cancer treatments raise the risk of diabetes

In some regions of the body, radiation therapy that attacks cancer cells may also destroy cells that produce insulin. And steroids, which are often used to reduce nausea during chemotherapy, are among the drugs that raise blood sugar levels.

Can cancer raise blood sugar levels?

It is not uncommon for someone with cancer to have elevated blood sugar (glucose) levels. Your doctor may have even told you that you have diabetes.

What side effects does chemotherapy have?

Here are some of the more common side effects caused by chemotherapy:

• Fatigue.
• Hair loss.
• Easy bruising and bleeding.
• Infection.
• Anemia (low red blood cell counts)
• Nausea and vomiting.
• Appetite changes.
• Constipation.

What are the symptoms of high blood sugar?

The main symptoms of high blood sugar are:

• Increased thirst.
• Increased urination.
• Weight loss.
• Fatigue.
• Increased appetite.

What is the connection between diabetes and cancer?

Women with diabetes are 27 percent likelier to develop cancer, compared with healthy women. By contrast, men with diabetes are 19 percent more likely to develop cancer than healthy men. And, women with diabetes are 6 percent likelier than men with the same diagnosis to develop a type of cancer.

Which is worse diabetes or cancer?

Worldwide, cancer is the 2nd and diabetes is the 12th leading cause of death (4). In the U.S., cancer is the 2nd and diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death; the latter is likely an underestimate, since diabetes is underreported on death certificates as both a cause and comorbid condition (3).

Does Type 2 diabetes increase cancer risk?

Type 2 diabetes is associated with increased risks for several cancers, including colon,¹ postmenopausal breast,² pancreatic,³ liver,⁴ endometrial,⁵ and bladder⁶ cancers and non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Type 2 diabetes is also linked to a modest decrease in the risk for prostate cancer.

Do cancer cells feed on sugar?

All kinds of cells, including cancer cells, depend on blood sugar (glucose) for energy. But giving more sugar to cancer cells doesn’t make them grow faster.

What can cause blood sugar to stay high?

Many factors can contribute to hyperglycemia, including:

• Not using enough insulin or oral diabetes medication.
• Not injecting insulin properly or using expired insulin.
• Not following your diabetes eating plan.
• Being inactive.
• Having an illness or infection.
• Using certain medications, such as steroids.

Can diabetes cause pancreatic cancer?

Long-standing diabetes is a (modest) risk factor for pancreatic cancer. Long-standing diabetes can be considered a risk factor for pancreatic cancer. It causes a modest increase in risk of 1.5- to two-fold.