BACKGROUND: Both diabetes mellitus (DM) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) are age-related diseases and therefore occur simultaneously. DM and, in particular, diabetic nephropathy are associated with an increased modification of the extracellular tissue matrix with advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). OBJECTIVE: As AGE-modified matrix impairs the invasive migration of lung carcinoma cells, our study aimed at the effect of DM on the NSCLC-related outcome. METHODS: In a retrospective clinical study, we analyzed the time-dependent survival of NSCLC patients with DM compared to patients without DM, who had been treated for cancer by resection surgery. The age-matched study population (51-80 years) included 55 DM patients and 111 non-DM patients. RESULTS: Comparative analyses between DM and non-DM patients did not find significant differences for NSCLC histology, tumor stage and stay in the hospital. Analyses of the mid-term (20-month) survival showed that the DM group had a significantly higher proportion of NSCLC patients being alive 20 months after tumor resection than the non-DM group (76 vs. 59%, p = 0.048). The DM-related increase in the mid-term survival rate was particularly observed for patients without lymph node metastasis (88%) and those patients also suffering from nephropathy (90%). In contrast to the mid-term survival, DM had no effect on the long-term (60-month) survival of NSCLC patients (35 vs. 32% in the non-DM group). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that DM-associated changes mediate beneficial effects in terms of NSCLC progression, in which AGE modifications might play a critical role.
BACKGROUND: Both diabetes mellitus (DM) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) are age-related diseases and therefore occur simultaneously. DM and, in particular, diabetic nephropathy are associated with an increased modification of the extracellular tissue matrix with advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). OBJECTIVE: As AGE-modified matrix impairs the invasive migration of lung carcinoma cells, our study aimed at the effect of DM on the NSCLC-related outcome. METHODS: In a retrospective clinical study, we analyzed the time-dependent survival of NSCLCpatients with DM compared to patients without DM, who had been treated for cancer by resection surgery. The age-matched study population (51-80 years) included 55 DMpatients and 111 non-DMpatients. RESULTS: Comparative analyses between DM and non-DMpatients did not find significant differences for NSCLC histology, tumor stage and stay in the hospital. Analyses of the mid-term (20-month) survival showed that the DM group had a significantly higher proportion of NSCLCpatients being alive 20 months after tumor resection than the non-DM group (76 vs. 59%, p = 0.048). The DM-related increase in the mid-term survival rate was particularly observed for patients without lymph node metastasis (88%) and those patients also suffering from nephropathy (90%). In contrast to the mid-term survival, DM had no effect on the long-term (60-month) survival of NSCLCpatients (35 vs. 32% in the non-DM group). CONCLUSION: Our study indicates that DM-associated changes mediate beneficial effects in terms of NSCLC progression, in which AGE modifications might play a critical role.