A new study has shown that women with both breast cancer and diabetes have a high risk of mortality than their non-diabetic counterparts. Breast cancer itself is a very deadly disease but a diabetic woman increases her chances of dying if she also has breast cancer.

A study shows that breast cancer women who have diabetes are 50 percent more likely to die than those who don’t have diabetes. However, a lot remains unexplained since the data doesn’t specify the cause of death. Author Dr. Kimberly Peairs states that the study shows that there may be a higher association between diabetes and breast cancer mortality than was previously believed.

This study has been published in the latest issue of Journal of Clinical Oncology and has been supported by grants from U.S. National Institutes of Health, the American Cancer Society and the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Though the exact reason of high mortality in such case is not yet known, there are various possible explanations. For instance, one study suggests that women who had type 2 diabetes were likely to have their breast cancer diagnosed later than their non-diabetic counterpart. Besides, diabetic women may tend to respond less to chemotherapy drugs or their physicians may not provide them with aggressive treatment fearing concern for their health. Insulin intake may also be responsible for a greater growth in breast cancer tumor.

Diabetes is a widespread ailment with 8% of adult population being affected by it in US in 2007. Research suggests that diabetics are also prone to higher risk of breast cancer. To keep diabetes away, women are advised to keep their BMI at under 25. And those who have been diagnosed with diabetes must ensure that they control their blood sugar levels.

Source: http://www.businessweek.com/lifestyle/content/healthday/649105.html