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Updated: Nov 5, 2025

Isolation of Human Islets from Partially Pancreatectomized Patients
Published on: July 30, 2011
Understanding the Contribution of Insulin Resistance to the Risk of Pancreatic Cancer
Frederico G S Toledo1, Suresh Chari, Dhiraj Yadav
11Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; 2Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Division of Internal Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA; 3Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Department of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Abstract:
Type 2 diabetes is a known risk factor for the development of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. However, the mechanisms behind this epidemiological association remain unclear. Whether it is hyperglycemia or insulin resistance that increases the risk of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a question that has yet to be settled. A new study by Kim et al published in The American Journal of Gastroenterology shows that the presence of insulin resistance independently increases pancreatic cancer mortality even in individuals without diabetes and hyperglycemia. The study's findings and implications to our understanding of pancreatic cancer risk are discussed.
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