The incidence of pancreatic cancer (PCa) is increasing worldwide and has become one of the leading causes of cancer-related death. Screening for high risk populations is fundamental to overcome this intractable malignancy. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is classically known as a risk factor for PCa. Recently the reverse causality is in the spotlight, that is to say, DM is considered to be a manifestation of PCa. Numbers of epidemiological studies clarified that new-onset DM (≤2-year duration) was predominant in PCa patients and the relative risk for PCa inversely correlated with duration of DM. Among patients with new-onset DM, elder onset, weight loss, and rapid exacerbation of glycemic control were reported to be promising risk factors and signs, and the model was developed by combining these factors. Several pilot studies disclosed the possible utility of biomarkers to discriminate PCa-associated DM from type 2 DM. However, there is no reliable biomarkers to be used in the practice. We previously reported the application of a multivariate index for PCa based on the profile of plasma free amino acids (PFAAs) among diabetic patients. We are further investigating on the PFAA profile of PCa-associated DM, and it can be useful for developing the novel biomarker in the near future.
Keywords: biomarker; diabetes mellitus; pancreatic cancer; risk factor; screening.