Association of Glycosylated Hemoglobin Level and Cancer-Related Mortality in Patients without Diabetes

Previous studies have reported that abnormal glucose metabolism is associated with poor cancer outcomes. Glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is an important indicator of glucose metabolism. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between nondiabetic HbA1c levels and cancer-related mortality.

This was a retrospective cohort study of Koreans who attended an annual or biennial health checkup program. The study group was categorized based on the quintile of HbA1c level (Q1, 3.0-5.1%; Q2, 5.2-5.3%; Q3, 5.4%; Q4, 5.5-5.6%, Q5, 5.7-6.4%). Cancer-related mortality was determined using the mortality data from the Korea National Statistical Office. Participants with an established diagnosis of diabetes or cancer were excluded. Cancer-related mortality was assessed depending on each HbA1c level with adjustment for factors that could influence mortality.

A total of 589,457 participants were included in this study. During a median follow-up duration of 6.99 years, 1712 cancer-related deaths were reported. The risk of cancer-related mortality was significantly higher in the Q5 group (hazard ratio (HR) 1.23, range 1.02-1.47 in model 1; HR 1.25, range 1.04-1.50 in model 2). HbA1c levels were linearly associated with cancer-related deaths (Ptrend = 0.021 in model 1; 0.013 in model 2). HbA1c level and colorectal, stomach, and lung cancer mortality exhibited a positive relationship, whereas liver cancer-related mortality showed an inverse relationship with HbA1c level (Ptrend = 0.001).

Our study showed that abnormal glucose metabolism is significantly associated with cancer-related mortality, and its relationship varies with each type of cancer.