title: The female breast and diabetes.
abstract: The present review outlines the various issues of breast pathology in diabetes. Diabetic mastopathy is an uncommon proliferation of fibrous tissue in the breast that mimics tumour. Breast arterial calcifications represent calcium deposits in the media of arterioles and are more frequently detected on mammograms of diabetic subjects. Importantly, type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been associated with breast cancer, but the mechanism underlying this association is complex, since the two entities frequently co-exist and seem to share common aetiological factors and pathways. Furthermore, diabetes has been suggested to negatively affect breast cancer outcomes, but it is unclear whether better glycaemic control would ameliorate prognosis. Preliminary data suggest that antidiabetic treatment may also influence both the incidence and prognosis of breast cancer. However, available evidence is inconclusive and further research is needed. Therefore, treatment of diabetes should not be determined by its potential effect on breast cancer.
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Clinic of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism in the Second Department of Internal Medicine, Democritus University of Thrace, G. Kondyli 22, Alexandroupolis, Greece.
authors.forename: Evanthia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Gouveri
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Papanas
authors.forename: Efstratios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Maltezos
mesh_terms: D001941:Breast Diseases / Q000209:etiology*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000209:etiology; D002114:Calcinosis / Q000209:etiology; D048909:Diabetes Complications; D005260:Female; D005348:Fibrocystic Breast Disease / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D014652:Vascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D007004:Hypoglycemic Agents