Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and altered fasting blood glucose at the time of pancreatic cancer diagnosis, in a group of patients assisted in a gastroenterological referral center in Argentina

Introduction: diabetes mellitus (DM) is considered to be a risk factor for the development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Objectives: describe the prevalence of DM and of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) at the diagnosis of PDAC, among patients assisted in a gastroenterological reference center. Analyze differences in personal and nutritional characteristics in patients with both PDAC and DM; with both PDAC and IFG; and with PDAC but neither DM nor IFG. Determine the time lapse between the diagnosis of DM and the diagnosis of PDAC. Materials and methods: between October 2019 and March 2020, we analyzed 465 clinical records of PDAC-diagnosed patients over 18 years, from Oncology and Nutrition Sections. Results: 171 clinical records (36.7%) showed both PDAC and DM; 294 clinical records (63.2%) showed PDAC but not DM. In 45.1% of the former, the interval between the diagnosis of DM and that of PDAC was 10 years, respectively.