Cervical carcinoma and diabetes mellitus among women in Southern India.

Introduction: Cervical carcinoma is the second commonest malignancy among females worldwide. In India, about 365.71 million women aged over 15 years are more vulnerable to cervical carcinoma. Risk factors may include immunodeficiency diseases, herpes, smoking and oral contraceptives. Scientific literature has documented that type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) could aggravate the risk of some malignancies (hepatic, pancreatic, endometrial). This study aimed to evaluate the potential association between cervical carcinoma and diabetes mellitus in women.

Material and methods: Patients with cervical carcinoma, with or without diabetes, were assigned to two groups based on attainment of menopause. SPSS version 11.5 was used for data analysis. Odds ratios were calculated, and the chi-square test was used. P-values ≤ 0.05 were considered statistically significant.

Results: It was observed that 29% of patients with cervical cancer were sixty to seventy years old, with a majority (40%) of them being multiparous. Though the association of body mass index as a risk factor for diabetic patients with cervical carcinoma was not significant in pre- and post-menopausal age groups, T2DM in cervical carcinoma is a useful prognostic indicator.

Conclusions: Diabetic females after attaining menopause have a higher risk of developing cervical carcinoma and therefore should mandatorily receive routine screening. Future research with a longer timeframe is needed in order to generalize the results.