A retrospective cohort design was used with the objective to evaluate cancer risk among people with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Lithuania. The cohort was established by identifying all patients with the first diagnosis of T2DM in the National Health Insurance Fund database during 2000-2012. Cancer cases were identified by record linkage with the Lithuanian Cancer Registry. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated. Of the 127,290 people that were included, 5959 cases of cancer in men and 6661 cancer cases in women with T2DM were observed. A statistically significant increase in risk for all cancer sites was observed in women, SIR 1.16 (95% CI 1.14-1.19), but not in men, SIR 1.00 (95% CI 0.98-1.03). Among males, a significant increase of liver (SIR 2.11, 95% CI 1.79-2.49]), pancreas (SIR 1.77, 95% CI 1.57-1.99), kidney (SIR 1.46 95% CI 1.31-1.62), thyroid (SIR 1.83, 95% CI 1.32-2.54), colorectal (SIR 1.23, 95% CI 1.14-1.31]), skin melanoma (SIR 1.40, 95% CI 1.11-1.76), and non-melanoma skin (SIR 1.14, 95% CI 1.05-1.23) cancer was observed. For females with T2DM, a significant increase in risk of cancer of the liver (SIR 1.45, 95% CI 1.17-1.79), pancreas (SIR 1.74, 95% CI 1.56-1.93), kidney (SIR = 1.43, 95% CI 1.28-1.60), thyroid (SIR = 1.40, 95% CI 1.22-1.62), breast (SIR = 1.24, 95% CI 1.17-1.31), and corpus uteri (SIR 2.07, 95% CI 1.93-2.21) was observed. In conclusion, people with T2DM in Lithuania had an increased risk of site-specific cancer.
Keywords: cancer; cohort; diabetes; population study; risk.