Impaired Glucose Handling Is Revealed in Prostate Cancer Patients

Prostate cancer survivors have increased risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Here, we evaluate glucose handling and lipid profiles in men with prostate cancer and compared them with 2 cancer‐free reference groups to elucidate potential cancer‐related changes in metabolism. Eight high‐risk, newly diagnosed prostate cancer patients (>T3 or Gleason >8 or PSA >20ng/mL), 7 age‐matched, cancer‐free (HM) males and 10 young healthy (HY) males were included. Fasting blood samples were obtained for glucose‐ and lipid‐related parameters followed by an oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) to assess glucose handling, insulin and c‐peptide response. There were no significant differences in fasting glucose between groups (patients: 4.87±1.18mM; HM: 3.65±0.21mM; HY: 3.70±0.46mM). However, patients demonstrated impaired 2‐hr glucose concentrations (8.68±2.87mM where normal is defined as <7.8mM), which were significantly higher compared with HM and HY groups (HM: 5.21±1.92mM, p=0.002; HY: 3.24±1.05mM, p<0.001). Similarly, insulin and c‐peptide responses demonstrated significantly greater 2‐hr insulin and c‐peptide concentration vs HM and HY groups. There were no significant differences in total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides between the 3 groups. Thus, glucose handling, not the lipid profile, may be affected by prostate cancer, which may influence the risk of diabetes in survivorship. Funded by the Motorcycle Ride for Dad Foundation and the Canadian Institute of Health Research.