An unexpected discovery has potentially been made this week as researchers are saying that brain tumours that previously emerged from diabetes and obesity are less likely to emerge from those with higher blood sugar. This new discovery could shed light on the development of meningiomas tumours sprouting from the brain and spinal cord. These tumours are usually benign but still carry a huge risk as the surgery to remove them could pose a threat to the patient’s life.
Previous research had established that slow-growing tumours were most common in those who were obese or suffered from diabetes – probing researchers to set out looking for a relationship or common link between the blood markers and meningiomas. High blood sugar is a component of diabetes and a precursor to its development – making type 2 diabetes and obesity closely linked.
When Swedish researchers compared blood tests and samples of over 41,000 people with meningiomas diagnoses they found that, particularly in women, high blood pressure decreased the chances of brain tumours in the patient. Though meningiomas are rarely cancerous, they behave in a very similar way, leading scientists to wonder if some relationships with tumours and possible risk factors would also be similar.
From data collected between 1985 and 2012, researchers identified 296 cases of meningioma with more than 61% being female patients. The women with the highest blood sugar were less than half as likely to develop a tumour as opposed to those with lower readings. However, the relationship was not statistically significant when researchers looked at those of men’s.
The results of this investigation could lead to a clear explanation of how tumours develop and grow and could potentially enrol researchers on the path to improved diagnostic techniques.
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