Diabetes and prostate cancer, an ambiguous relationship between two pathologies of high worldwide prevalence

Abstract

Patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have a lower risk of developing Prostate Cancer (PCa). This apparent "protection" is mainly due to a deficit in the insulin signal and a state of hypogonadism associated with insulin resistance (IR), which would bring about a decrease in available testosterone levels. On the other hand, the concomitance of DM in patients with PCa leads to higher morbidity and mortality, even in tumor stages with a good prognosis, in the context of a lower response rate to cancer treatments and a higher frequency of tumor recurrence. Glycemic control directly affects these prognostic factors, since an adequate clinical-nutritional approach is mandatory in this dual relationship pathology.