Immune changes linked to diabetes could guide development of new cancer treatments

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A mouse study suggests that hyperglycemia associated with type 1 diabetes changes T cells in ways that may help protect against some cancers, including melanoma, breast, and colon cancer. The findings could help guide future cancer treatment research, though the reported evidence is from mice.

New research in The Journal of Immunology uncovers how high blood sugar (hyperglycemia) and type 1 diabetes (T1D) may protect against certain cancers like melanoma, breast and colon cancer. T1D has been associated with a decreased risk of certain cancers, but the exact reasons why have remained a mystery. New data from studies in mice now show that it could be due to changes in immune cells, called T cells, caused by hyperglycemia.