New-onset diabetes may serve as an early marker of pancreatic cancer
MD Anderson Research Highlight July 09, 2025
Pancreatic cancer screening is not recommended for the general population due to its low incidence, leading to later diagnoses after symptoms already have appeared at an advanced stage. Studies show that one-fifth of patients with pancreatic cancer develop new-onset diabetes (NOD), suggesting a higher risk. To provide insights into the risk of developing pancreatic cancer following NOD, , and colleagues prospectively identified 18,838 adults with NOD and followed them for diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. One in 160 patients with NOD were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer within three years. Interestingly, most patients were diagnosed within the first year, suggesting that the cancer causes diabetes. The study also highlighted racial and ethnic differences, with white adults having the highest rate of pancreatic cancer after NOD. This large prospective study confirms the correlation between NOD and pancreatic cancer, suggesting NOD as a potential marker for earlier detection of pancreatic cancer. Learn more in .
Pancreatic cancer is thought to be silent until it is too late. This study provides hope that new-onset diabetes may allow earlier detection of pancreatic cancer.