Correlation between metabolic syndrome and pancreatic cancer in elderly patients

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between metabolic syndrome and pancreatic cancer in elderly patients. Methods: This study analyzed retrospectively the clinical data of 203 pancreatic cancer patients aged above 60 years who were on hospital admission from July 2009 to December 2013. A set of 210 patients without endocrine diseases, digestive diseases, and tumors, matched for age, sex, and body height with the cancer group served as control. The interrelationships between metabolic syndrome and its components, and pancreatic cancer in the elderly patients were studied using univariate and multivariate analyses. In addition, the interrelationships between the clinical features of the elderly patients with pancreatic cancer and metabolic syndrome were subjected to univariate and multivariate analyses. Results: Elderly pancreatic cancer patients differed statistically from the control group with respect to comorbidities of diabetes, and elevated BMI, TG, TC and fasting blood glucose, (χ2 = 8.812, 4.632, 4.538, 7.308, and 48.178, respectively, p < 0.05). New-onset diabetes mellitus (DM, duration ≤ 2 years) had closer correlation with pancreatic cancer in the elderly patients than long-erm diabetes. The levels of glycosylated hemoglobin and CA119 in pancreatic cancer group and in patients with diabetes of control group were significantly elevated (p < 0.05), and the increase in CA199 level in the cancer group was closely associated with glycosylated hemoglobin. Conclusion: Metabolic syndrome and its components (diabetes, high fasting blood glucose, high triacylglycerol, and elevated glycosylated hemoglobin) are independent risk factors for pancreatic cancer in the elderly. The clinical features in the elderly pancreatic cancer patients are not specific.