Up to three years after being diagnosed with diabetes, patients' risk for developing pancreatic cancer increases eight fold, according to the study.
"Pancreatic cancer is difficult to detect until it is in an advanced stage, leaving little hope for patients," says Dr. Suresh Chari, who led the study, in a Reuters report. "This study is important, because it leads us closer to finding indicators that will allow earlier detection and treatment."
Pancreatic cancer kills virtually all of the 32,000 people who are diagnosed with the disease in the United States, making it the fourth leading cause of cancer death.
The high mortality rate is due in part to the cancer exhibiting few symptoms before it becomes advanced.
Researchers plan to continue their research to see if diabetes is in fact an early symptom of pancreatic cancer.
