How do I safely manage breast cancer therapy with diabetes?

Question

Hello doctor,

I was just diagnosed with breast cancer, and I am terrified. I have also been diabetic for fifteen years, and my blood sugar has been all over the place since I got the news. I found a lump in my breast, had a biopsy, and now they are talking about surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, but I do not know how this affects my diabetes or if my diabetes makes cancer worse.

Does diabetes make breast cancer worse?
Can I undergo chemotherapy with diabetes?
What are my other treatment options?
Do I need surgery to remove my breast?
Will I lose my hair from chemotherapy?
What is radiation, and how does it work?
What is hormone therapy? What are the side effects?
How do I manage my diabetes during treatment?
Will I be able to take my diabetes pills or insulin?
How long will treatment take?
Will I ever feel normal again?

Kindly help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand the extent of the fear and anxiety you are going through as soon as you are diagnosed with cancer, especially since you also have diabetes. But I would like to tell you that there is no problem at all; managing the two together is easy and simple. It just needs a bit of patience from you and a bit of cooperation.

As for diabetes, we are not afraid of it at all, unlike cancer. You can take your usual pills that you normally take; it's completely normal. We just pay attention during chemotherapy. If there is nausea or vomiting, sometimes you may need more sugar, and sometimes the sugar might drop. In that case, of course, we adjust the dose based on your general condition. It is important that the diabetes doctor be following your case.

On the days of surgery, we prefer to take insulin because, of course, it helps the wound heal properly. As for chemotherapy, it does not affect diabetes at all, and radiotherapy also does not affect diabetes at all. So your general condition will not be affected by having both conditions at the same time.

The second thing regarding the rest of the side effects of chemotherapy: of course, we can manage them with medication, and we give antiemetics and things for the gastrointestinal tract. As for the loss of hair, of course, it grows back normally after we stop the chemotherapy cycles.

I just wanted to know from you whether your tests were hormone-positive or not. If your tests turn out to be hormone-positive and we do a genetic test and it shows that your risk is low, then we might not need to take chemotherapy at all and rely only on hormonal therapy. But if your tumor is stage three or your tumor is hormone-negative, then in that case we need to take chemotherapy.

Regarding the next steps, the investigations to be done include genetic tests. The treatment plan will involve surgery and chemotherapy, plus or minus hormonal therapy, depending on the results. Regarding follow-up, it will be in seven days.

I hope my answer is clear to you. If you have any questions at any time, do not hesitate to ask, and do not be afraid at all. There is no conflict between cancer and diabetes. Cancer will not worsen diabetes at all.

I hope you are satisfied with my answer. For further queries, you can consult me at iCliniq.

Thank you.