People with type 2 diabetes are at increased risk of developing leukemia.

According to a study published in Nature Genetics on July 14th, DNA defects in people with type 2 diabetes may explain why they are more susceptible to leukemia than others.

After studying blood samples from nearly 7,500 people, including 2,200 with type 2 diabetes, researchers at the French National Centre for Scientific Research and Imperial College London (UK) discovered that blood cancer is linked to cell mutations, also known as clonal mosaicism (CMEs). These mutations can lead to some cells replicating abnormally or replicating with missing genetic code.

Illustrative image. (Source: nccn.com)

According to this study, among people with type 2 diabetes, CMEs are four times more common than in healthy individuals. In the general population, CMEs are usually rare in young people but are more prevalent in older adults.

According to previous studies, about 2% of people over 70 years old have this mutation, giving them a 10 times higher risk of developing leukemia compared to younger age groups.

According to Philippe Froguel of Imperial College London, the lead researcher, this finding may explain why people with type 2 diabetes are more susceptible to leukemia. Previously, the medical community knew of a link between type 2 diabetes and leukemia, but the cause was unknown.

According to Froguel, in the future, genetic testing could help identify type 2 diabetes patients who are at risk of developing CMEs. These patients would be closely monitored for early detection of leukemia symptoms and could be treated with milder chemotherapy.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are 347 million people worldwide with diabetes, of which about 90% have type 2 diabetes – which carries a high risk of kidney, eye, and heart disease. Diabetes is a disease caused by the body's inability to metabolize glucose in the blood using insulin. Obese and sedentary individuals are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes, and the disease usually appears in adulthood.

According to (VNA) - VT