Type II diabetes and breast cancer.

1552 Background: Type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) has been related to poorer health outcomes from breast cancer in a growing number of studies. It's estimated that 16 to 20% of breast cancer patients are diabetic and up to 30% are undiagnosed. The current report uses the HbA1c assay as a diagnostic measure of diabetes and glycemic control in a large cohort of breast cancer survivors to identify the robustness of reported relationships between diabetes and prognosis. Methods: Participants included 3,003 women with a history of early stage breast cancer enrolled in a large prospective dietary intervention trial designed to assess risk of recurrent and new primary breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Median follow-up was 7 years. HbA1c was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography [Bio-Rad; normal range 4.5-6.5%] on stored red blood cells collected at baseline. HbA1c categorical cut points were determined according to clinical interpretation with HbA1c levels of 7.0% and above identifying T2DM,...