Correlations of Diabetes and the Risk Factors with the Survival of Breast Cancer Patients

Diabetes is associated with an increased risk of cancer. Because of the metastatic nature of cancer, the survival of women with breast cancer is decreasing despite receiving various treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between diabetes and the risk factors related to the survival of breast cancer patients.

This was a descriptive-analytical study. Patients were selected via systematic random sampling and then divided into diabetic and nondiabetic groups. Then the 5-year survival rate of patients was were compared.

The mean and median for survival were 9.95 and 13.00 years. The risk of death in breast cancer patients positive for estrogen receptor was significantly reduced compared with patients negative for estrogen receptor (HR, 0.314; 95% CI, 0.109–0.907; P = 0.03).

The results of the study indicate that the survival of breast cancer patients in diabetics is not significantly different from non-diabeticsUse of metformin and estrogen receptor positivity is associated with higher 5-year survival rates in women with breast cancer. Therefore, cancer screening programs in high-risk groups, especially in diabetic patients, and hyperglycemic control may affect survival time.