Greater risk of death for diabetic people who undergo cancer surgery

A recent analysis at Johns Hopkins researchers suggests people with diabetes who undergo cancer surgery are more likely to die in the month following their operations than those who have cancer but not diabetes.

The study finds that newly diagnosed cancer patients - particularly those with colorectal or esophageal tumors - who also have Type 2 diabetes have a 50 percent greater risk of death following surgery. Roughly 20 million Americans - about 7 percent of the population - are believed to have diabetes and the numbers continue to grow.

Study conclusions will be published in the April issue of the journal Diabetes Care.