Background: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered to be a possible risk factor and/or a manifestation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). This study is aimed at analysing the potential association of diabetes mellitus with the development and pathogenic degrees of PDAC and post-surgical survival of Chinese Han PDAC patients.
Methods: A total of 1123 patients with PDAC were recruited and included 256 patients with diabetes mellitus within 2 years (new-onset) and 62 patients with diabetes mellitus ≥ 2 years (long-standing). Additional 466 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were included in this study. Their clinical characteristics and long-term outcomes were analysed.
Results: In comparison with patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus alone, PDAC patients with new-onset diabetes mellitus had an older onset age of diabetes mellitus and lower body mass index (BMI). Among PDAC cases, patients with new-onset diabetes mellitus were associated with neural invasion, poor tumour differentiation and shorter post-surgical survival. However, more than half of these patients became euglycemic after surgical resection of tumours.
Conclusions: PDAC patients developed new-onset diabetes mellitus at an older age, and they had shorter post-surgical survival. The underlying mechanisms by which comorbid diabetes mellitus affect the clinical profiles and outcomes of PDAC patients deserve further researches.