Association between type 2 diabetes and 5-year overall survival in early-stage pancreatic cancer: a retrospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: This study examined the association between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and 5-year overall survival (OS) in patients with pancreatic cancer (PC). METHODS: This retrospective cohort study included patients diagnosed with stage I/II PC at Shengjing Hospital of China Medical University from January 2012 to December 2017. All patients had pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma or its subtypes. The outcome was the 5-year OS rate based on data from the patient charts. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 22.0 RESULTS: A total of 238 patients were included: 72 with T2DM and 166 without T2DM. There were significant differences in blood glucose levels and OS between the two groups (all P < 0.05). The median OS was 11.4 (95% confidence interval CI [8.49–14.31]) months in the T2DM group and 16.3 (95% CI [12.44–20.16], P = 0.023) months in the non-T2DM group. After adjustment for confounders, T2DM was an independent factor affecting 5-year OS (P = 0.010). Compared with non-T2DM patients, T2DM patients had a higher risk of death (HR = 1.475, 95% CI [1.096–1.985]). CONCLUSIONS: T2DM is associated with 5-year OS in patients with PC.