NEW YORK, Aug. 16 -- Women who develop gestational diabetes may be at increased risk for pancreatic cancer decades later, reported researchers here.
The relative risk of pancreatic cancer was 7.1 (95% CI 2.8-18) among 410 women who had a history of gestational diabetes, according to a study published online in BMC Medicine.
After adjusting for age, the risk of pancreatic cancer increased to 7.9 (95% CI 3.1-19.8, P<0.0001), wrote Mary C. Perrin, Dr. P.H., M.P.H., of New York University, and colleagues.
But the absolute numbers were small -- just five cases of pancreatic cancer among the 410 women.
