Survival and glycemic control in patients with co-existing squamous cell carcinoma and diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Aim: This study examined the impact of diabetes mellitus (DM) on survival in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) patients, and the impact of SCC on glycemic control. Materials and methods: Patients with newly diagnosed SCC with and without DM were matched 1:1 (2007-2017). Overall survival and recurrence-free survival were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and glucose level during the year following cancer diagnosis were compared using mixed models. Results: HbA1c decreased over time in DM patients (p = 0.04). The 5-year overall survival was 61% in DM patients, compared with 78% in patients without DM (p = 0.004). Conclusion: The presence of co-existing DM adversely impacted survival in patients with SCC. SCC did not affect glycemic control. The objective of this study was to identify the effect of diabetes mellitus (DM) on survival of patients with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and to determine whether SCC and its treatment affected glycemic control. We used an institutional cancer registry to identify 190 patients with SCC and grouped them by the presence (n = 95) or absence (n = 95) of DM. Patients were matched by age and year of SCC diagnosis. For individuals with SCC, DM did decrease survival rates, and the diagnosis of SCC did not affect glycemic control.