A major long-term study led by Dr. Tinne Laurberg of the Steno Diabetes Centre at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark has found that type 2 diabetes sharply raises cancer risk, especially in women. The research tracked Denmark's entire adult population over 27 years, from 1996 to 2022.
The findings show women with type 2 diabetes had a 22 percent higher rate of cancer compared with women without the condition, while men with diabetes saw a 12 percent increase compared with non-diabetic men — meaning diabetic women face roughly double the relative cancer risk of diabetic men. The study also found that between 2010 and 2022, obesity-related cancers were 45 percent more common among men with diabetes and 30 percent more common among women with diabetes than among people without the disease.
The results are set to be presented at the Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Milan this month. Researchers note that since 2016, cancer has overtaken other causes to become the leading cause of death among people with type 2 diabetes in Denmark and other high-income countries.
The findings underline the importance of regular cancer screening for diabetic patients, particularly women, and add to a growing body of evidence linking metabolic disease to cancer risk. Health experts in the UAE, where diabetes prevalence remains high, say the study reinforces the need for closer monitoring and weight management as part of standard diabetes care, potentially helping catch cancers earlier and reduce long-term mortality among patients.