Association between diabetes duration and risk of pancreatic cancer: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Prior studies have implicated diabetes as a risk factor for pancreatic cancer, yet the impact of diabetes progression on pancreatic cancer incidence remains unclear. We aim to assess pancreatic cancer risk across different stages of diabetes.

Employing a predefined search strategy, we conducted a literature review of electronic databases up to 29 February 2024. Extracting odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) relevant to diabetes, we aimed to evaluate pancreatic cancer risk among diabetic patients and conduct subgroup analyses.

Our systematic review comprised 29 observational cohort studies with 25 million participants. We observed a 2.13-fold higher likelihood of pancreatic cancer among diabetic individuals compared with nondiabetic counterparts. Specifically, males with diabetes exhibited a greater pancreatic cancer risk than females; however, regional disparities in pancreatic cancer risk among diabetic patients were NS. Regarding diabetes duration, pooled ORs (95% CI) for pancreatic cancer risk were 2.41 (2.07-2.81) for 1-4 years, 1.67 (1.50-1.85) for 4-10 years, and 2.01 (1.81-2.22) for over 10 years.

The results of this study confirm a significant association between diabetes and pancreatic cancer. Although there was no statistically significant difference in risk between different diabetes duration groups, diabetic patients overall face a higher risk of pancreatic cancer. Therefore, diabetic patients should undergo regular pancreatic cancer screening and take appropriate management measures to detect potential pancreatic cancer at an early stage.