REVIEW article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Breast Cancer
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1624896
Navigating the nexus of type 2 diabetes mellitus and breast cancer: A Comprehensive Review of co-occurrence
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, The University of Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- 2Department of Nutritional Sciences, Government College University Faisalabad, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- 3Institute of Home Sciences, Faculty of Food, Nutrition and Home Sciences, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan
- 4University of York, York, United Kingdom
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
The co-occurrence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and breast cancer has received considerable attention due to their global prevalence and shared metabolic pathways, greatly affecting quality of life and life expectancy, especially in women. Epidemiological evidence indicates that women with type 2 diabetes mellitus have a 20-30 % higher risk of developing breast cancer than women without type 2 diabetes mellitus. This review was conducted through a comprehensive and structured literature search to identify relevant peer-reviewed studies examining the relationship between type 2 diabetes mellitus and breast cancer. To ensure the quality and relevance of the included literature, only studies published in English were considered. The focus was on literature addressing pathological mechanisms, epidemiological data, and shared risk factors contributing to the coexistence of these conditions. Preference was given to recent publications, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and high-quality original research articles. The primary databases searched included PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. The increased risk of breast cancer among type 2 diabetic patients is largely attributed to shared risk factors such as obesity, hyperglycemia, dietary patterns, physical inactivity, age, hormonal imbalances, and genetic predispositions, all of which contribute to the coexistence of these conditions. Chronic inflammation, hyperinsulinemia, and persistent hyperglycemia, together with dysregulation of adipokine and estrogen signaling, create a carcinogenic environment that facilitates the development of breast cancer in type 2 diabetic patients. This review emphasizes the urgent need for a multidisciplinary approach to prevention and treatment. Effective intervention strategies can reduce the dual burden of these diseases, resulting in better patient outcomes and improved quality of life.
Keywords: Epidemiological data, Hyperglycemia, type 2 diabetes mellitus, breast cancer, Adipokine, pro-carcinogenic environment, multidisciplinary approach
Received: 08 May 2025; Accepted: 12 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Saroosh, Ahmad, Israr, Arif, Itrat and Ahmad. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Abdul Momin Rizwan Ahmad, University of York, York, United Kingdom
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.