Association between uric acid, cancer incidence and mortality in patients with type 2 diabetes: Shanghai diabetes registry study

BACKGROUND: An elevated serum uric acid level has often been observed with type 2 diabetes or cancer progression. This study aimed to investigate the association between the serum uric acid, cancer incidence, and mortality in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: A total of 8274 patients with type 2 diabetes from the Shanghai Diabetes Registry (SDR) participated. The follow-up rate was 85.4%. All subjects were divided into four groups according to the serum uric acid concentration: group 1 (1.0 mg/dL ≤ SUA < 3.0 mg/dL), group 2 (3.0 mg/dL ≤ SUA <5.0 mg/dL), group 3 (5.0 mg/dL ≤ SUA < 7.0 mg/dL), and group 4 (SUA ≥ 7.0 mg/dL). The primary outcome was the first diagnosis of any cancer. The secondary outcome was all-cause mortality. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to estimate the relative risks of cancer and death. RESULTS: One hundred thirty-seven men and 115 women had cancer by the end of the study. In women, group 1 had the lowest incidence rate of cancer at 30.3 cases per 10 000 person-years, followed by group 2 (48.2). The cancer incidence rates in groups 3 (80.4) and 4 (100.8) were significantly higher than in group 2 (p < 0.05). No significant differences were observed in the incidence of cancer in men (p = 0.76). The risks of overall mortality and death from cancer were not significantly different among the different serum uric acid groups in either sex (Pmale = 0.480, Pfemale = 0.075). CONCLUSION: In Chinese female diabetic patients, the incidence of cancer increased with serum uric acid levels.