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Using genetics to decipher the link between type 2 diabetes and cancer: shared aetiology or downstream consequence?
Emma E Vincent1,2,3, Hanieh Yaghootkar4,5,6
1MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit at the University of Bristol, Bristol, Bristol, UK. emma.vincent@bristol.ac.uk.
Diabetologia
|July 25, 2020
Summary
Genetics studies, including genome-wide association studies (GWAS), reveal shared genetic factors contributing to type 2 diabetes and cancer risk. Further research is needed to clarify the biological mechanisms linking these complex diseases.
Area of Science:
- Genetics and Epidemiology
- Complex Disease Aetiology
Background:
- Type 2 diabetes mellitus and cancer are complex diseases with shared risk factors like obesity and aging.
- Observational studies indicate an increased cancer risk in individuals with type 2 diabetes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the genetic relationship between type 2 diabetes and cancer.
- To investigate shared genetic architecture and biological mechanisms linking these conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWAS) for type 2 diabetes and cancer.
- Applying techniques like Mendelian randomisation to dissect causal links.
Main Results:
- Identification of several shared susceptibility genes for type 2 diabetes and cancer.
- Highlighting the importance of tissue specificity and direction of effect in genetic aetiology.
Conclusions:
- Genetic studies provide insights into the shared aetiology of type 2 diabetes and cancer.
- Further investigation is required to elucidate causal pathways and differentiate direct effects from shared metabolic features.
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