Abstract
BackgroundRecent epidemiological studies suggest that treatment with insulin may promote cancer growth. The present systematic review and meta-analysis of published observational studies was conducted to assess the risk of cancer during treatment with insulin.Materials and methodsA compressive search was conducted through MEDLINE, PubMed, Web of Science, EMBASE, and Chinese Biomedical Literature databases (CBM). Pooled relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with a random-effects model.ResultsA total of four studies with one case-controls study and three cohort studies comparing the insulin therapy and colorectal cancer susceptibility were identified. When all four studies were analyzed, the summary RRs were 1.61 (95% CI = 1.18–1.35) in a random-effects model for individuals with insulin therapy, compared with individuals without insulin therapy, which suggests a statistically significant association between insulin use and colorectal cancer.ConclusionsOur findings provides the evidence that insulin therapy may contribute to the risk of colorectal cancer.Virtual slidesThe virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here: http://www.diagnosticpathology.diagnomx.eu/vs/9339731010859509
Highlights
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancerrelated morbidity and mortality in the Western world
When all four studies were analyzed, the summary relative risks (RRs) were 1.61 in a random-effects model for individuals with insulin therapy, compared with individuals without insulin therapy, which suggests a statistically significant association between insulin use and colorectal cancer
Our findings provides the evidence that insulin therapy may contribute to the risk of colorectal cancer
Summary
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancerrelated morbidity and mortality in the Western world. Few epidemiologic studies have evaluated whether insulin treatment is associated with risk of CRC [2,3,4]. With clinical data from the United Kingdom, reported roughly 2-fold higher odds of CRC among type 2 DM patients who used insulin [2,4]. There was a null association between insulin use and CRC risk in a similar retrospective study conducted with data from US pharmacies [3]. Recent epidemiological studies suggest that treatment with insulin may promote cancer growth. The present systematic review and meta-analysis of published observational studies was conducted to assess the risk of cancer during treatment with insulin
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